Idier Wahid Taysir Hayb (or al-Heib) ( ar, تيسير الهيب; he, תייסיר אל-היב)

Bedouin The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu (; , singular ) are nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia. The Bedouin originated in the Syrian Desert and A ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

who shot International Solidarity Movement civilian activist Tom Hurndall, while on duty in Gaza on April 11, 2003. Hurndall died in January 2004, after a nine-month coma. Hayb was sentenced to eight years for

manslaughter Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th cen ...

.Soldier jailed for activist death

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...

, 11 August 2005.Simon Atkinson
British peace activist was ‘intentionally killed’

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

, 10 April 2006. His sentence was reduced in July 2010. He is the brother of Amira al Hayb, the first Bedouin Israeli female to join the IDF.

Investigation and trial

Initially, Hayb claimed he had shot at a man in military fatigues, who was firing at soldiers. However, photographic evidence clearly showed that Hurndall was wearing a bright orange jacket, denoting he was a foreigner. Hayb was an award-winning marksman and his rifle had a

telescopic sight A telescopic sight, commonly called a scope informally, is an optical sighting device based on a refracting telescope. It is equipped with some form of a referencing pattern – known as a ''reticle'' – mounted in a focally appropriate po ...

. He said he aimed four inches from Hurndall's head, 'but he moved'. Hayb, allegedly, claimed a policy of shooting at unarmed civilians existed at the time. In May 2004, Taysir Hayb went on trial for manslaughter in the death of Tom Hurndall, obstruction of justice and unbecoming behaviour. In August 2005, he was convicted of manslaughter and obstruction of justice and sentenced to 8 years in prison.

Release

Hayb was to be released in August 2010, after an army committee headed by Advocate-General Avichai Mandelblit decided to shorten his sentence due to good behavior. The army committee dismissed arguments from military prosecutors that the early release could harm relations between Israel and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, and said he "no longer posed any threat to society in their view." Hayb was finally released on September 8, 2010, after having served six-and-a-half years of his sentence.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hayb, Taysir Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Military snipers Bedouin Israelis Arab citizens of Israel Place of birth missing (living people) Israeli soldiers Israeli people convicted of manslaughter Israeli prisoners and detainees Prisoners and detainees of Israel People who were court-martialed People convicted of obstruction of justice