Two 17-year-old Israelis have been found guilty of the murder of Palestinian teenager Mohammad Abu Khdair, who was abducted and burned to death in Jerusalem last year.
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Non-Muslim prayer is banned around al-Aqsa and Israel has said it will not change that, but an increase in visits by Jewish religious activists and ultra-nationalist Israeli politicians to the complex have contributed to Palestinian fears. Sentencing for the teenagers is expected in January.
The verdict came amid a two-month wave of deadly violence in the West Bank and Israel, including nearly daily stabbing attacks by Palestinians.
Who was Mohammed Abu Khdeir? .
Saeb Erekat, Secretary General of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), told reporters in Ramallah that the decision of the court “is a green light for keeping crimes against the Palestinians”.
The court had previously rejected Ben David’s insanity defense.
“Today what we’re seeing is the Palestinian narrative is being built as this being another case where the perpetrators will go scot-free”, Al-Omari said.
The courtroom found the 2 Israeli minors guilty of killing Mohammed Abu Khdeir, who was burned to death within the early Jul. 2014 attack.
The judge found that the two youths beat Abu Khudair unconscious in the back seat while Ben David drove into the forest. Abu Khadeir’s savage beating continued in the forest, and then Ben David allegedly pored gasoline on the serious injured boy and set him on fire, burning him alive.
During the trial, Ben David gave mumbled responses during the proceeding and just didn’t take the stand. In a pretrial hearing, he yelled: “I ‘m the Messiah!”
The three suspects were arrested shortly after the killing but their trial had been held behind closed doors.
Hussein Abu Khudair asked, “Why haven’t they demolished the homes of these three murderers?”
Attorney Asher Ohayon had claimed his client is psychologically unfit for trial.
Separately, a court procedure mandates that a social worker examine the minors to ensure there are no mitigating circumstances – a standard procedure in cases relating to minors – before the court issues a formal conviction. Ben-David refused to defend himself during court proceedings as a result.
While adult murder convicts generally get lengthy jail terms in Israel, comparable sentences are not mandatory for minors.
The two teenagers confessed to the abduction in court, though one testified that he was not involved in the killing.
“The state is sending a clear message of forgiveness and understanding when it comes to Jewish terror”, he said. During the same period, about 100 Palestinians have been killed, either as they carried out or attempted attacks, or in clashes with Israeli forces. The Palestinians say the violence is rooted in frustration over a lack of hope for obtaining independence.
Prosecutor Uri Corb vowed to fight any insanity plea.
“When we try to claim that we are better than our enemies – and I think that we are better than them – we should look at this event as a mirror”, he said.
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Member of Hamas Political Bureau Mousa Abu Marzouq said the supporting of Israel is the reason behind the mass killings of the Palestinians.
