Arabs Against Discrimination[Israeli soldier: If a Palestinian had died instead of an ISM volunteer, the case against me would’ve been closed]

Israeli soldier: If a Palestinian had died instead of an ISM volunteer, the case against me would've been closed

Source: www.nfc.co.il, May 23, 2005

By: Omer Carmon

Sgt. Wahid Taysir, the former sniper with the Bedouin reconnaissance unit accused of shooting a British activist with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) in the head in April 2003, says that his indictment is prompted by racism.

“If I were Jewish, I would've been released a long time ago,” Wahid told a military tribunal in Castina on Sunday (May 22). “I'm being discriminated against because I'm a Bedouin. I was convicted because the injured party was a British national. If the victim were Palestinian, the army would have closed the case a long time ago.”

Tom Hurndall, who died at the age of 22, was a photography student who volunteered for ISM. He was shot in the head while in Rafah in April 2003 and remained in a coma about nine months before dying.

Israeli army officials claimed for a long time that they did not know who shot Hurndall, but after the British government exerted heavy pressure, Taysir was arrested.

The Bedouin soldier was charged with murder, obstructing an investigation, and inappropriate conduct. He admitted that he had fired a warning shot near Hurndall's ear.

Taysir's attorney before the Castina military tribunal, Yariv Ronen, said Sunday that Hurndall had died after a decision was made by his doctors and family to give him a large dose of morphine and take him off life support; thus, he argued, Taysir should not be charged with murder.

Hurndall's mother, Jocelyn, attended the session and was outraged by the defense's claims. “I hope this trial changes things,” she said. “There are thousands of victims whose cases are not investigated. We hope the results of the trial lead to other investigations.”

Since her son's death, Jocelyn has worked tirelessly for the investigation and the Palestinian cause. About 18 months ago, she wrote a letter to British Prime Minister Tony Blair asking him to pressure Israel to form a transparent investigative committee to look into the shooting. In her letter, Jocelyn described the Israeli government as “a completely immoral regime whose brutality surpasses human comprehension.”

Jocelyn has been active in ISM activities. Last year, she spoke at a conference organized in Britain to commemorate the Palestinian nakba [the tragedy that accompanied the creation of Israel —ed.]