Israel’s State Attorney’s Office continues foot-dragging in investigation of killing of Samir ‘Awad

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

http://www.btselem.org/accountability/20150810_continued_foot_dragging_in_samir_awad_case

More than two and a half years ago, soldiers killed sixteen-year-old Samir ‘Awad. A year and two months later, his father petitioned the High Court of Justice (HCJ) together with B'Tselem, demanding the Military Advocate General (MAG) reach a decision whether to take action against the soldiers involved or close the case. The State Attorney’s Office continues the foot-dragging in this case, repeatedly ignoring interim court decisions.

In its last decision, the HCJ ordered the state to make a final decision on the case by 3 August 2015. Instead, on the very day of the ordered deadline, the State Attorney’s Office told the HCJ it needed more time to reach a final decision and requested to make an additional submission to the court by 10 September 2015, in which it would provide a progress report. Justice Hanan Melcer granted the motion by the State Attorney’s Office and ordered to schedule a hearing.

This motion by the State Attorney’s Office is another instance of the repeated delays by authorities in handling the Samir ‘Awad investigation, as seen in other cases as well. The delays, which in this case have continued even into the proceedings held in the HCJ petition, show that even the mechanisms ostensibly responsible for monitoring the work of the MAG Corps are party to the policy of lack of enforcement in terms of perpetrators of harm to Palestinians.
---
On 15 January 2013, 16-year-old Palestinian Samir ‘Awad was killed by live ammunition Israeli soldiers fired at him near the Separation Barrier near the village of Budrus, the West Bank. A B’Tselem inquiry revealed that although ‘the soldiers were not in danger at any time during the incident, they shot ‘Awad three times. According to media reports, the initial investigation by the Israeli military found that ‘Awad was shot in contravention of open-fire regulations. The military was also reported to have video footage of the incident captured on the Separation Barrier surveillance cameras.

More...

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

1. Dragging their feet to run out the clock...

On 1 December 2014, the HCJ ordered the MAG Corps and the State Attorney’s Office to make a decision with regard to the investigation of Samir ‘Awad’s death by 1 March 2015. The court added the Attorney General as a respondent in the petition since it was found that the soldiers suspected in the case had been discharged from the military and were, therefore, no longer subject to the Military Justice Law.

How convenient.

Palestinians lives matter.

[Little Tich]

2. In Israel you can literally get away with murder as long as the victim is a Palestinian...

I have no doubt that the foot-dragging was intentional.