QATANA, West Bank (AP) — Palestinian siblings gunned down at a West Bank checkpoint after approaching Israeli troops — with knives, according to Israel — were needlessly killed and could have been subdued without deadly force, their parents, witnesses and an Israeli lawmaker said Thursday.
Later Thursday the Israeli military said two Palestinian women attempted to stab soldiers stationed at a checkpoint in the West Bank. It said forces responded to “imminent danger†and opened fire, wounding one of the attackers, who was evacuated to hospital in Jerusalem for treatment. Both attackers were arrested, the military said.
The fatal shootings Wednesday of 24-year-old Maram Taha and her 16-year-old brother Ibrahim raise new questions about Israel’s use of lethal force against knife-carrying Palestinians in recent months, said the Israeli rights group B’Tselem.
Israeli police have said security forces at the Qalandiya checkpoint opened fire on the Taha siblings on Wednesday after they ignored calls to halt and Maram Taha threw a knife toward a policeman.
Police did not explain why lethal force was used after the sister had thrown the knife and why her brother was fatally shot. Two knives were found on the teen after he was shot, police said.
Three witnesses interviewed separately Thursday said the siblings were at least 20 to 25 yards from Israeli troops when they were shot. The witnesses, including a coffee vendor and a fruit seller, spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of repercussions from Israeli authorities.
Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said Thursday security camera footage of the incident, which could presumably clear up questions, would not be released until an investigation is completed. She did not say when such a probe might be finished. In recent months, police have rarely released footage of stabbings.
Dov Hanin, a dovish Israeli lawmaker, demanded the security footage be released and quoted witnesses as saying the Taha siblings posed no threat.
Wednesday’s shootings are part of a deadly routine in the volatile region in recent months.