The state closed the case against two security guards who killed two Arabs at the Kalandia checkpoint last April

The State Prosecutor decided to close the case against two security guards accused of killing Maram Abu Ismail and Ibrahim Taha at the Kalandia checkpoint last April.

The Arabs were shot dead after they entered the area adjacent to the checkpoint which is a prohibited zone and did not obey the calls of the security guards to stop. Moreover Maram cried "Allahu Aqbar", took out a knife and threw it towards the security forces.

"After evaluating the evidence...by focusing on variant versions of the event as well as on a clip from the surveillance cameras which captured the event, and after a hearing took place on the issue, the Jerusalem Prosecutor in coordination with the State Prosecutor decided to close the case against one of the security guards for lack of criminal intent and against the other guard for lack of evidence", said the prosecution.

The evidence revealed that Maram Abu Ismail and Ibrahim Taha entered the area adjacent to the checkpoint even though security guards called on them a number of times to stop and even though the zone is a prohibited area for civilians. Maram shouted at security guards among other things saying "Allahu Aqbar", while Ibrahim Taha cursed the security guards and said he did not want to go back.

The two began to retreat, with Ibrahim Taha holding the hand of Maram Abu Ismail, but then she took out a knife and after a few seconds threw it towards the security guards. Immediately afterwards a policeman who was present shot in the air and at the same time two civilian guards shot at the terrorists.

One shot at Maram and the other targeted Maram and Ibrahim. As a result of the shooting the two died on the spot.

The evidence suggested that the two Arabs had entered the area near the checkpoint and their proximity to the soldiers aroused a suspicion that they intended to attack the security forces. This suspicion was strenghthened when Maram, Ibrahim's sister, took out a knife and threw it at the security forces.

The Prosecutor took into account among other considerations that from the angle of the surveillance cameras documenting the event it appeared that Ibrahim was trying to pull Maram back before she threw the knife.Despite this, the angle at which the security guards viewed the event was different from that of the cameras.

Moreover a search of Ibrahim's body revealed more knives, one of which was identical to the one thrown by Maram at the security forces.

The Prosecutor said that "This could reveal the motive of Ibrahim in approaching the area, as he intended to perform a terror attack against Israelis, just as his sister performed such an attack. This motive corresponds to the guards' feeling that Ibrahim represented an immediate danger.

"Under these circumstances, especially in a rapidly developing situation taking place over a few seconds, and in a tense security situation characterized by individual terror attacks, the claim of the second security guard that he shot in self-defense at Ibrahim cannot be negated," concluded the Prosecutor.