Rare Israeli conviction in 2002 killing of Palestinian

His head struck the pavement with great force, killing him. The policemen also abused other Palestinians in Hebron. The entire affair was exposed by B'Tselem and the Palestinian human rights organization al-Haq.

It is questionable whether a sentence of six years is compatible with an offense as grave as manslaughter. But bringing the policeman to justice, even if only partially, is a rare instance in which the system of justice in Israel meets its obligation to hold security forces accountable for illegally harming Palestinians. As a rule, the authorities refrain from enforcing the law on soldiers and police officers who commit crimes of violence. Presumably, the tragic results of this case, together with the high profile it was given by the media, led the authorities to deviate from their custom and prosecute the policemen.

One significant reason police are not held accountable for harming Palestinians in the West Bank is that many cases of violence against Palestinians are not properly investigated. As a result, it is difficult to arrive at the truth and the chance of an indictment being filed is reduced. It is not surprising, then, that most cases of violence never reach the courtroom. Since the beginning of the intifada, in 2000, B'Tselem has reported to the Department for the Investigation of Police (DIP) 130 cases of police violence against Palestinians (not including shooting cases). Of these, DIP opened 100 investigations, which led to the prosecution of only nine police officers and disciplinary proceedings against only four police officers.

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