Court Convicts Jewish Settler : U.S.-Born Immigrant Killed Arab Shepherd
A court today found a U.S.-born immigrant guilty of manslaughter in the shooting of an Arab shepherd near a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank, Israeli radio said.
It was the first time since the start of the Palestinian uprising nearly a year ago that a Jewish settler was convicted of killing a Palestinian. The defendant, Israel Zeev, claimed he fired in self-defense.
The district court found Zeev guilty in the May 5 slaying of a 28-year-old Palestinian shepherd, Jude Abdallah Awad. Another Palestinian was wounded in the eye when he came to Awad’s aid. Zeev, originally from Philadelphia, will be sentenced Sunday, Israeli radio said.
The maximum sentence for manslaughter in Israel is 20 years.
The incident began when a Jewish woman spotted several Palestinian shepherds in a field between the West Bank village of Turmus Aiya, 15 miles northeast of Jerusalem, and the nearby Jewish settlement of Shillo. She called Zeev, who came and fired at the shepherds.
Violence in the occupied areas continued today as Israeli troops shot and wounded five Palestinians in stone-throwing clashes, hospital officials said.
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