The military prosecutor assigned to the Bat Ayin case insists the soldiers fired without justification, stating there was no life-threatening danger and therefore, the use of their weapons was in contradiction to army protocol.

The prosecution stated that Sgt. David Alfassi and Corporal Baruch Brendvin should not have fired on the Arab village of Um Safa, directing gunfire at stone-throwers. Further complicating the case for Alfassi is the fact that he tested positive for marijuana of hashish Ynet reports, enough to land him in military prison. Due to related investigations against the soldier in the past, he was not authorized to be carrying a weapon.

Both soldiers, residents of Bat Ayin, admitted to discharging their weapons, insisting they did so in self-defense after coming under attack from a hail of rocks but the prosecution pointed out many contradictions in their versions of the events that occurred.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)