The two Jewish men who have been arrested in connection with the death of a 19-year-old Palestinian Arab man during clashes between Jewish residents and Arab rioters near Burqa on Friday are unlikely to be indicted and will probably be released in the coming days, Channel 12 News reported this evening (Monday).
According to the report, the Arab man was buried without an autopsy, making it impossible to make the connection between the bullets which struck him and evidence from the scene. In addition, there is no video documentation of the shooting in which the man was killed, further limiting the evidence available to investigators.
Channel 14 News reported that sources familiar with the details of the investigation that it would be very difficult to convict the shooter of manslaughter or murder, given the fact that he was seriously injured, which strengthens the claim that it was self-defense.
The incident began when a mob of Arabs threatened a Jewish shepherd from the Oz Tzion outpost who was grazing his flock in the area between Oz Tzion and Burqa on Friday. The shepherd, who felt that his life was in danger, called for help, and a number of Jewish residents arrived. Dozens of Arab rioters armed with clubs, fireworks and rocks then began to attack the Jewish residents.
During the clashes, Yehiel Indor was struck on the head with a stone and seriously injured. He is believed to have fired the shot which killed one of the rioters with his last ounce of strength.
Following the incident, Indor and another man were arrested in connection with the incident, though Indor was unable to attend the court hearing as he was hospitalized with a serious head injury. On Saturday night, their detention was extended by five days.
Last night, five Arabs were arrested in connection with the attack on the shepherd which set off the clashes that ended in the death of one of the rioters.