Photo taken from the spokesperson of Israel’s defense forces

 

BETHLEHEM
(Ma’an) — An Israeli soldier on Thursday was celebrated in an American
Jewish weekly as “the Terminator” after he shot and killed three
Palestinians in nine days.The Jewish Press ran an article
on the soldier, known only as “Corporal T”, under the headline “Meet
the Terminator,” referring to the cyborg of the Hollywood film
franchise.The soldier shot and killed 25-year-old Malik
Talal al-Shareef after an alleged stabbing attempt on an Israeli soldier
in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc near Bethlehem on Thursday.Nine
days earlier, on Oct. 17, Israeli reports say he killed another two
Palestinians in the same illegal settlement bloc.Shadi Nabil Abd al-Muti
Dweik, 22, and Shabaan Abu Shkeidem, 17, were shot dead in the area
after an Israeli soldier was stabbed and injured.“Corporal
T,” who has reportedly spent just two months in operational duty, was
described by his fellow officers as a “young warrior,” according to The
Jewish Press.”Kfir Brigade officers commended the rapid
response and cool temper of the warrior, who prevented more serious
results,” their report said.”According to them, the fact
that he is a young warrior, who’s only been in uniform a total of eight
months, only two of those in operational duty, did not affect his
focused and precise actions in both cases.”Israeli news
site Ynet also praised the soldier’s actions, citing his “alert and
accurate response” during the incidents as “impressive.”The
celebration of the 19-year-old soldier’s actions comes after a deadly
month in the occupied Palestinian territory that left at least 69
Palestinians dead.The majority were shot and killed by
Israeli forces after allegedly attempting attacks on Israelis, although
Palestinians and rights groups have raised questions over Israel’s
version of events in a number of cases.There has been
widespread criticism of Israel’s “shoot to kill” policy advocated by
Israeli officials. Israeli rights group B’Tselem said last month that
the policy has led to high numbers of unnecessary deaths.Last
month UN Secretery-General Ban-Ki Moon said that “a number of
incidents, many caught on video and widely disseminated, call into
question the degree of response, including the apparent disproportionate
use of lethal force as a first resort.”