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Tom Hurndall |
Israel refuses to send witnesses to Tom's inquest
THE mother of Tom Hurndall, the Tufnell Park student who
died after being shot by an Israeli soldier three years ago,
has attacked the Israeli authorities for refusing to co-operate
in her son’s inquest.
Jocelyn Hurndall, who lives in Burghley Road, Tufnell Park,
said the decision by the Israeli government was “obstructive”
and criticised a letter written by the Israeli embassy to the
Foreign Office as “the most pompous I have ever seen.”
Mr Hurndall, a peace activist, was shot in the head while defending
children from sniper fire in the Gaza town of Rafah which is
close to the borders of Egypt.
Officers from St Pancras Coroner’s Court, where the four-day
inquest into Tom Hurndall’s death is due to begin on April
10 approached the Israeli embassy asking for a number of people
to assist the court.
A copy of the Israeli embassy’s response seen by the New
Journal on Tuesday states that while Israel “treats the
incidents with extreme seriousness, after due consideration
it does not consider that it is appropriate to participate in
the Coroner’s proceedings”.
Mr Hurndall was shot by Israeli Defence Force soldier Sergeant
Idier Wahid Taysir in April 2003. The 22-year-old student, who
suffered severe brain injuries as a result of the shooting,
died at the Royal Hospital for Neuro-Disability in Putney in
January 2004.
Taysir was found guilty of manslaughter and later sentenced
to eight years in prison after a trial in an Israeli military
court last year.
Mrs Hurndall, who revealed that the family would be represented
by Michael Mansfield QC during the inquest, has blamed a “culture
of impunity” within the Israeli defence forces for her
son’s death.
But a spokeswoman for the Israeli embassy said Israel had already
convicted a soldier for Mr Hurndall’s death.
She said: “We are deeply sorry for the death of Tom Hurndall.
“We do not understand the anger of the family since, following
a thorough investigation, an Israeli court convicted a soldier,
Sergeant Taysir Hayb, of manslaughter, sentencing him to eight
years in prison and an additional three-and-a-half years suspended.
“Sergeant Hayb was also found guilty on five additional
counts and has already begun to serve his term in prison. Furthermore,
throughout the investigation and trial, we maintained close
contact with both the Hurndall family and the British authorities,
the latter of whom acknowledged this cooperation.” |
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