A former Israeli soldier was convicted under a plea bargain for a crime highlighted in the Goldstone report on the Gaza war.
Under the plea bargain, which was approved Aug. 12 by the Jaffa military court, the unnamed Givati Brigade soldier will be jailed for 45 days. The charges for the soldier, known as Staff-Sgt. S, were reduced from manslaughter to illegal use of a weapon.
Staff-Sgt S. was convicted in 2010 for shooting and killing a Palestinian woman, 64, and her daughter, 35, who were part of a group of Palestinians approaching him waving a white flag. His superiors had not ordered him to shoot.
The incident was highlighted in the Goldstone report on the monthlong 2008-09 Gaza war. The controversial report, written by a United Nations-appointed committee led by former South African judge Richard Goldstone, accused both Israel and Hamas fighters in Gaza of war crimes. — jta