Israeli far-right Otzma Yehudit Party leader, Itamar Ben Gvir, praised an Israeli soldier who shot and killed on Friday a Palestinian youth at point-blank range in Huwwara town.
Ben-Gvir, who is set to become Israel’s next national security minister, called the soldier a “hero” and described the killing as “precise, quick and rigorous.”
“Precise action, you really fulfilled the honor of all of us and did what was assigned to you,” Ben Gvir told the soldierin Saturday’s remarks, according to Israeli daily ynetnews.
“You protected yourself and the people there. Every terrorist will know that if he wants to steal a weapon and kill a fighter – this is how the fighters operate.”
In response to Ben Gvir’s praise, the soldier told the far-right MK that he was “glad that we were able to do what was expected of us and that it ended this way”.
Israel’s Police commissioner Kobi Shabtai also hailed the soldier’s actions, saying that he “acted professionally as expected of any soldier or officer.”
The commander of the Border Police, Amir Cohen, commended the soldier for his “quick response.”
On Friday and in the daylight, the praised Israeli soldier extrajudicially shot and killed a Palestinian youth, identified as 22-year-old Ammar Mefleh, at point-blank range in Huwwara town.
Video footage of the incident shared on social media showed the Israeli soldier scuffling with the Palestinian youth before pulling his gun and mercilessly firing four shots, killing him immediately and seizing his body.
The Palestinian was hit in the upper body and fell to the ground. Two of the shots hit him while he lay on the ground.
The brutal killing left people — some of them tried to break up the scuffle — at the scene shocked.
Local sources reported that Israeli forces present at the scene prevented residents and ambulances from providing aid to the injured youth.
Eyewitnesses said that after an Israeli settler shot at the Palestinian youth from his car and wounded him, Israeli soldiers attacked the man and let the settler off. The young man then attempted to free himself from the soldier before being shot dead.
Israeli forces claimed that the youth attempted to carry out a stabbing operation, but videos of the incident show the slain youth posed no threat to the soldiers.
