Azziz Mustafa Salha, 23, one of the Palestinians involved in the Ramallah lynching of two reservists on October 12, 2000, and whose photo, holding up his hands stained with the blood of the two soldiers to the mob standing outside the police station was shown worldwide, was sentenced to life in the Judea Military Court on Sunday.
Reservist Sgt.-Maj. Yosef Avrahami and Corporal Vadim Novesche accidentally strayed into Ramallah after making a wrong turn on the way to their army base.
They were forced out of their vehicle and taken to the local police station, where an angry mob forced their way into the headquarters and, together with PA security officials, attacked and beat them to death. Scores of people participated in the lynch which was broadcasted in grisly detail around the world.
Novesche was thrown out of a second-story window to the mob below and later, Salha stood at the window and proudly showed the crowd his hands covered with the reservists' blood.
According to the charge sheet released by the army on Monday, Salha arrived at the police station and spotted Novesche lying on the ground with a knife protruding out of his back.
He grabbed the knife and stabbed the Israeli to death while holding him in a stranglehold. He then went inside the station and stood at the second floor window showing off his bloodstained hands to the crowd.
Several photographers were beaten by PA officers that day by Palestinians for filming the scene and their cameras and films were destroyed.
