Home > Senior officer linked to killing of Palestinian youth gets promoted
Senior officer linked to killing of Palestinian youth gets promoted
by Open-Publishing - Monday 1 August 2005Wars and conflicts International
Senior officer linked to killing of Palestinian youth gets promoted
By Amos Harel
Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Dan Halutz on Sunday authorized the promotion of a senior officer who was reprimanded for his role in an incident in which a Palestinian teenager was killed near the town of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
Lieutenant Colonel Adam Zussman, who is currently serving as a battalion commander, will be appointed as a brigade commander in the Southern Command and promoted in rank to colonel.
Two years ago, Zussman authorized a company which had just ended its basic training to hold a "battalion welcome march" in the southern Gaza Strip area.
During their march, the troops crossed an IDF outpost in the settlement of Morag, bordering with the Palestinian towns of Rafah and Khan Yunis, from where fire exchanges were common between the sides.
Zusmann allowed the troops to open "deterring fire" in the direction of nearby Palestinian homes. Palestinians later reported that a 15-year-old boy was killed in the area.
Military Police failed to link the company’s fire to the death of the Palestinian youth, also because the Palestinians gave conflicting, and probably erroneous, reports on the time of his death.
The incident nevertheless raised sharp criticism in the IDF because the "deterring fire" consisted of hundreds of rounds and because the march exposed the troops to unnecessary danger.
Two weeks ago Zussman was placed on disciplinary hearing, at the recommendation of the Military Prosecution. He was charged with unlawful use of arms and was given a severe reprimand, but the court recommended not to hold back his promotion.