The United Nations has condemned the “gruesome” killing of an Arab terrorist who stabbed an Israeli soldier in Hebron last week.
The condemnation came in a statement by UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East peace process, Nicolay Mladenov, who didn’t bother waiting for the results of the IDF investigation into the incident before making his own decision in the matter.
“I strongly condemn … the apparent extra-judicial execution of a Palestinian assailant in Hebron in the occupied West Bank,” Mladenov said. “This was a gruesome, immoral and unjust act that can only fuel more violence and escalate an already volatile situation.”
Mladenov called on Israel to “swiftly bring to justice” the alleged perpetrator and praised Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon’s condemnation of the incident.
The terrorist was the second of two who attacked an IDF soldier on Thursday morning, and was awaiting transport to a medical facility. The first was shot and killed by other troops at the site. As he was lying on the ground, he was shot and killed by an IDF soldier, as seen in a video that made the rounds of the Internet and Israeli TV.
The incident, slammed as an “execution” by the far-left ‘B’Tselem’ group, has become the focal point for a massive debate in Israeli society.
The soldier in question contends the terrorist still presented a threat: he was wearing a bulky zipped-up jacket in the manner of suicide bombers and it was not clear that he was dead.
Terrorists who are still alive, though injured, are indeed able to detonate the explosive vests they are wearing despite their wounds in order to kill more victims. The discussion heard on the video supports this theory, with people yelling in the background about the danger.
The IDF contends that a military commander had already checked the terrorist’s body to determine whether he was packed with explosives. The soldier in question also had not followed protocol and did not first clear his actions with commanders.
As a result, the IDF arrested the soldier and incarcerated him in Prison 4, located in Be’er Sheva. His remand has been extended until at least Tuesday, as the investigation continues.
Politicians, community leaders and families of IDF rank and file as well as reservists are all debating the government’s response to the current wave of terror perpetrated by Palestinian Authority and Israeli Arabs.
Dozens of Israelis have died since October and hundreds of others have been injured, maimed and permanently traumatized as a result. In addition, 200 Arabs have also been killed, most while trying to attack Israelis but some also as victims of the attacks by their own brethren.
