Israeli Police Cleared in Shooting of Maimed Palestinian Boy
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Israeli authorities cleared police of any wrongdoing in the case of a nine-year-old Palestinian boy who lost an eye after apparently being shot in the face by an Israeli officer earlier this year.
Malik Eissa was struck by what appeared to be a sponge-tipped munition last February and lost vision in his left eye. Residents said he had just gotten off a school bus in the Palestinian neighborhood of Issawiya in East Jerusalem al-Quds when police opened fire. Police said at the time they had responded to riots in the tense neighborhood and used what they call nonlethal weapons.
In a statement sent to AP on Saturday, the so-called Israeli Justice Ministry said its unit for internal police investigations concluded that while the incident was “sad,” there were insufficient grounds for prosecution after interviewing witnesses and reviewing video footage and other evidence.
It said police were conducting an arrest operation at the time and were attacked by a group of stone throwers. It also said that medical experts could not determine whether the boy had been struck by a bullet or a stone. It said, however, that the investigations unit ordered a review of operational conduct, including its use of sponge-tipped bullets in civilian areas.
Malik’s father, Wael Issa, said that his family had been the victim of injustice twice — first when the boy was shot and now with the investigation being closed.
“When my son was shot, the members of the investigative unit came to the hospital. They were about to cry. They told me, ‘Don’t worry, those responsible for shooting him will be held accountable,’” he said on Sunday. “But 10 months after investigating, they decided to close the file.”
He said the boy suffers from constant headaches and psychological problems and has not returned to school because of repeated surgeries and embarrassment about his appearance.
He said his son finally agreed to return to school two weeks ago after receiving a glass eye but stopped going after a couple of days because of an embarrassing incident.
“The eye fell out in front of the students. He feels terrible,” he said. “Frankly speaking I don’t believe I will ever get justice in this system.”
