Soldiers rapped for celebrating after shooting Palestinian

Several IDF soldiers were disciplined after footage emerged showing them apparently congratulating one another for shooting an 18-year-old Palestinian in the leg. The army said the Palestinian youth was shot while attempting to throw a Molotov cocktail.

One of the soldiers also appeared to mock the injured Palestinian’s limp as he scrambled away after he was shot.

The International Solidarity Movement reported on the incident on Tuesday, saying that the shooting took place on August 9 in Hebron.

The short video shows five soldiers lying on a rooftop and watching two Palestinians on a nearby roof. As one of the Palestinians throws something off the roof one of the soldiers shoots him in the leg, apparently with live ammunition.

An accompanying photograph on the ISM website appeared to show the same soldier smiling next to a sniper rifle.

After the shooting, the video cuts to the soldiers congratulating the marksman. One of the soldiers appears to mimic the way the injured teen made his escape.

A Canadian volunteer for ISM, identified only as Vern, said he confronted the soldiers after they came down from the roof, and three of them gladly posed for a photograph, one of the flashing a victory sign.

An IDF spokesperson told The Times of Israel that the soldiers opened fire because the Palestinian was attacking other troops with a Molotov cocktail.

“In the video in question a Palestinian is seen throwing a Molotov cocktail towards IDF forces that were on the ground,” the spokesperson said. “Following the incident, the soldiers behaved inconsistently with the IDF values. Disciplinary measures were taken by their commanders. The IDF expects its soldiers to maintain a high level of professionalism at all times. Any soldier demonstrating inappropriate behavior will bear the consequences of his actions accordingly.”

The spokesperson said that the soldiers were reprimanded.