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Mazuz, the Attorney General of Israel, will examine charges against Lecturer: Dr. Anat Matar accuses an IDF soldier of murder in Bil'in and causes a storm.

Ya'acov Amzaleg.
08.06.09

The e-mail that caused a stir in the IDF: Mazuz, the Attorney General of Israel is to examine the complaint against Dr. Anat Matar, of Tel Aviv University's Philosophy's department, who sent out an e-mail containing a picture of an IDF soldier.

Matar claimed that the soldier in the picture was the one who shot dead a demonstrator in Bil'in, and branded him a 'murderer', she asked viewers to supply the soldier’s personal information. Matar accused the soldier of murdering Basem Abu Rachma.

Matar later apologized, and admitted that the soldier may not have been the one who shot the protester. But the IDF is not willing to let the issue go. The soldier's commanders informed the soldier of his legal options. More so, the Military Advocate General appealed to the Attorney General. At the same time Mazuz started investigating the event, after the "If you will'' movement demanded to charge Matar with libel. “The soldier in the picture definitely did not participate in that event'', say military sources. "The soldier belongs to the 7th brigade of the armored corps, and is continuing his military service with his fellow soldiers." "Yes they are stationed in the Bil'in and Ni'l area that is close to the separation fence, but the soldier in the photograph definitely did not participate in said event. Aside for the insult to the soldiers following the publication for photograph, the soldier and fellow soldiers of his company are going on with their usual activities". Javier Martinez, the Spanish photographer that documented the event, has since left the country. During a phone interview he insisted that the soldier is the one who shot Abu Rachma. "I stood four meters from the wounded protester", says Martinez. ''The soldiers stood about 20 meters away from us. I saw the soldier fire directly at us, not upwards''. According to military sources, examination of video records of the events supports the army's version of the events. The source states that in the video one cannot make out the faces of the soldiers, or the soldier who killed Abu Rachma, but one can make out that they are wearing battle helmets. The helmet seen in the photograph, on the other hand, is a different kind of helmet, one that used while dispersing demonstrations. Chairman of the Education Committee, M.K. Zevulon Orlev, accused the lecturer of a media lynch. "Dr. Matar does not represent any constitutional or legislative authority and her actions are reprehensible'', said Orlev and added that he is waiting for the results of the Attorney General’s investigation. The IDF spokesperson responded by saying: “We protest events in which the reputation of our soldiers is tarnished… even so, the decision in this case, to open an investigation or to serve charges falls on the purview of the civilian authorities, the Attorney General office and the police. Dr. Matar's involvement will be dealt with through appropriate channels".

Rivka Kellner translated this article