Court seeks more jail time for Hurndall killer

[Scurrilous]

Military prosecutor pushing for tougher sentence for IDF soldier convicted of killing British photographer in Rafah in 2003, arguing that initial 8-year prison sentence insufficient

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3212411,00.html

<snip>

"The Military Advocate General pushed for a tougher sentence for an IDF soldier convicted of killing a British citizen in Rafah in 2003, arguing that initial 8-year prison sentence is insufficient.

Prosecutors demanded Taysir Hayb, who shot and killed British photographer Tom Hurndall in Gaza nearly three years ago, be sentenced to 20 years imprisonment instead of the initial 8 years, while defense lawyers demanded the sentence be reduced to three years.

Hurndall was shot in the head during a demonstration in the southern Gaza city of Rafah in April 2003, and died in January 2004 after never having regained consciousness."

[Tom Joad]

1. He was shot in the "killing zone". He was following (illegal) orders.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1374851,00.html

"I told him that I did what I'm supposed to; anyone who enters a firing zone must be taken out. (The commander) always says this," he said.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1358173,00.html

An Israeli army officer who repeatedly shot a 13-year-old Palestinian girl in Gaza dismissed a warning from another soldier that she was a child by saying he would have killed her even if she was three years old.
The officer, identified by the army only as Captain R, was charged this week with illegal use of his weapon, conduct unbecoming an officer and other relatively minor infractions after emptying all 10 bullets from his gun's magazine into Iman al-Hams when she walked into a "security area" on the edge of Rafah refugee camp last month.

*********************************

There is no doubt that Tom Hurndall, who was shepherding young Palestinian children out of harm's way when he was shot, saved these children's lives. After all, these children too were in the "firing zone".
It is fortunate, that because his parents are more influential and live in a country where many people are much more understanding of the brutality of the Israeli military, that they got some measure of justice (unlike Rachel Corrie). However, there still is the gap between this soldier who is imprisoned for what is likely to be a few more years, and his superiors who got off scot-free.

Of course, the one who was ultimately responsible for such barbaric actions lies in a coma in Jerusalem.