Brig. Chaim Laskov, chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, today confirmed the conviction of Col. Issachar Shadmi, whom a military court had found guilty of “acting beyond authority” by ordering a border patrol under his command to fire against Arab civilians in the Israeli village of Kfar Kassem.
In confirming Col. Shadmi’s conviction, Gen. Laskov also upheld the penalty imposed on the officer. That penalty, however, is nominal, involving a fine of a very small sum, amounting to less than one cent. Members of the border patrol who did the actual killing were given long prison sentences. They have appealed to a higher military court, which is expected to hand down its ruling next month.
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