BICOM

The IDF said yesterday that an investigation was ongoing into a violent clash in the West Bank last week during which two Palestinian teenagers were killed. Video footage emerged yesterday which suggested that the teenagers were not threatening Israeli soldiers when they were shot.

The incident took place near the Ofer Prison close to Ramallah on Thursday. It occurred during a demonstration to mark what many Palestinians call Naqba (‘catastrophe’) Day, the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. Israeli military sources said that about 150 Palestinians confronted Israeli soldiers and border police, throwing fire bombs, rocks and burning tyres at them. Considering their safety in danger, the Israeli security forces opened fire with what the IDF said was rubber bullets, but Palestinian sources claimed was live ammunition. Two Palestinians, Nadeem Siam Nawara, 17, and Mohammad Mahmoud Odeh, 16 were killed in the clash.

The IDF opened an investigation in the immediate aftermath of the incident. However, video clips based on CCTV footage were released yesterday by Defence for Children International – Palestine Section and were endorsed by the Israeli human rights group B’tselem, which appear to show that neither Nawara nor Odeh were threatening Israeli forces at the time of the shootings. In light of the footage, US State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki called for Israel’s government to launch “a prompt and transparent investigation to determine the facts surrounding this incident.” The Palestinian Authority called for an international commission of inquiry into the incident.

An IDF statement said that, “The incident remains under investigation” but that, “A preliminary investigation determined that live fire was not used by security forces.” The statement continued, explaining that the video “has been edited, and doesn’t document the full extent of the event.” In particular, army sources said that condensing hours of violent protest into a two-minute clip did not reflect the “violent nature of the riot.” Israel’s Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon commented yesterday that, “Because it was a life-threatening situation, police acted accordingly.”