IDF: Only rubber bullets were fired in Beitunia – Pallywood clip surfaces

 

Following a Haaretz report detailing the suspension of an Israel Defense Forces soldier in relation to the May 15 clashes in the West Bank town of Beitunia in which two Palestinian youths were killed, IDF officials said on Wednesday that the soldier in question was firing rubber bullets, not live bullets, and was not aiming at rioters, but at a nearby wall.

An image from the video that purportedly shows the shooting deaths of two Palestinians in Beitunia on May 15 – Photo: Defense for Children International Palestine website

No apparent evidence links the suspended soldier, reportedly belonging to a communications unit, to either fatality. According to the Haaretz report, the soldier apparently fired his weapon without authorization, and had it confiscated immediately afterward.

The soldier has been summoned to provide testimony to the Military Investigative Police.

An IDF spokesperson declined comment on the Haaretz report, saying “the incident is still under investigation by military police.”

A preliminary investigation into the Nakba Day clashes in Beitunia found that soldiers had fired rubber bullets, but not live ammunition.

View original Israel Hayom publication at: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=17837