Monday, July 16, 2018
Elder of Ziyon
Palestine Today published video of a teen, Osman Rami Halas, being shot and killed by an IDF sniper.
The video shows that while there were a number of protesters at the fence, Halas was the only one who actually tried to climb the fence - and he was shot within seconds of his attempt.
The IDF issued a statement that during violent riots, "forces identified an attempt to breach the security fence and infiltrate into Israel from the northern Gaza Strip and fired to stop the attempt."
It is clear that the others in the area knew the unwritten rule that they can approach but not climb the fence. While the others make noises and wave flags next to the fence, only Halas purposefully strides to the fence. At 0:25, a friend seems to warn him and tries to pull him away from the fence, but Halas insists while the friend runs away, as do most of the others, apparently because of warning shots. Halas then approaches the fence again at 0:40 and attempts to climb it, and the adults in the area do not try to stop him. He is shot within two seconds.
The leaders of the Gaza protest movement have one weapon - public relations. A dead minor is what they need to get any news coverage, since the riots are now routine. They tacitly, and possibly overtly, encourage teens to approach the fence and get shot. They know that some hotheaded teens like Halas will want to become martyrs.
