Coroners Confirm Israeli Medic’s Gunshot Killed Palestinian

Autopsy Bolsters Military's Push to Indict Medic for Manslaughter

One of a flurry of pet theories which supporters have forwarded for why an Israeli medic who shot an already disarmed and wounded Palestinian in the head was eliminated today, as coroners confirmed that it was the shot to the head by the medic which killed the man.

The theory that the Palestinian was already dead didn’t make much sense to begin with, as the video clearly showed the man, who was laying on the concrete untreated for a solid 11 minutes according to reports, lifting his head right before the shot.

The medic didn’t appear to think he was dead at the time, either, telling multiple soldiers he thought the man “deserved to die,” and his defense lawyer arguing he was afraid the Palestinian, already disarmed and searched, had a suicide vest that somehow everyone else missed.

The Israeli military has already said they won’t charge the medic with murder, and indeed they’re under heavy pressure from right-wing politicians and the settler movement to release him outright, but the autopsy likely bolsters the chances he’ll get a lesser charge of some sort.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.