On Saturday two off-duty IDF soldiers were arrested after firing in the air to ward off an Arab mob near the town of Bat Ayin in Judea. On Sunday, IDF prosecutors said that while the investigation into the incident has not yet been completed, it appears that the two will face charges of improper weapons use, and possibly more serious charges as well.
One of the soldiers serves in an IDF artillery unit, while the other serves in an elite anti-terrorism unit. The two, residents of a Jewish town in Judea, were hiking near Bat Ayin along with local children when several Arabs approached and began throwing heavy rocks at the group.
The two told investigators that they felt threatened, and were afraid that one of the rocks would cause serious injury to either them or the children. At least one of the soldiers fired his gun in the air to frighten the attackers away.
Sources in the prosecutor's office told the Hebrew-language daily Yediot Aharonot that the soldiers' gunfire was unnecessary, and apparently incited a more serious riot in the area.
Arab villagers who took part in the riot have accused the soldiers of shooting and moderately wounding two Arab men. However, the men's injuries have not yet been conclusively connected to the soldiers. The soldiers say they fired in the air and did not cause injury.
On Monday, the IDF court in Yafo will hear a request from prosecutors to extend the soldiers' remand for several more days.
A similar incident took place in late 2008, when an off-duty soldier from the Givati brigades fired in the air during a riot involving Arabs from Hevron and Jews from Kiryat Arba. The soldier was sentenced to five months in prison.