IDF says protester shot in leg because of ‘life threatening danger’

In response to a query from The Times of Israel over a video appearing to show Israeli troops firing at a Palestinian protester’s leg from point-blank range, the army says the move followed protocol and was done because the shooter felt lives were at stake.

The video, which shows undercover Israelis dressed as rock throwers arresting a man and shooting at several others, was taken during a confrontation between troops and Palestinians near the West Bank settlement of Beit El north of Jerusalem on Wednesday.

“During the arrests the suspect physically resisted while the soldiers were barraged with rocks and surrounded by inflamed and a hostile mob. The soldier responded with a direct shot to the instigator’s leg, allowing the soldier to successfully complete the arrest and remove himself from the life threatening danger,” the IDF says in a statement.

The army adds that “the instigator received immediate medical attention from forces on the scene.”

The man was one of two people injured during the protest.

— with Judah Ari Gross