Two Israel Defense Force soldiers were sentenced to prison by a Jaffa military court Tuesday for their role in the attempted burial alive of three Palestinian youths in Kfar Salim village in the West Bank last Feb. 5.
Pvt. Dror Sagan-Cohen was given a four-month term at a military prison and another six months’ probation. Pvt. Yair Nissimi received a five-month prison sentence and seven months’ probation. The military tribunal said they “dishonored the army and portrayed Israel in a negative light.”
It rejected a plea-bargaining deal between the prosecution and defense that would have resulted in lighter sentences.
The soldiers were found guilty of forcing three Palestinian stone-throwers to lie on the ground while a bulldozer covered their bodies with earth. The three were rescued by villagers after the soldiers left.
The military judges said the accused had acted in a manner unbecoming to an IDF soldier and brought shame to the Israeli army. “Even under difficult circumstances, soldiers must preserve their humanity,” the judges declared.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
