Israel ordered to pay compensation over girl's death

London: The family of a 10-year-old Palestinian girl killed by a rubber bullet as she went to buy sweets has been awarded $430,000 (Dh1.57 million) compensation by an Israeli court.

Despite a civil court ruling 13 months ago that Abir Aramin was fatally wounded in January 2007 by a round fired by an Israeli border policeman, no one has been brought to trial.

Israeli authorities initially insisted that Abir had been hit by a stone thrown by Palestinian protesters.

Deemed culpable

The occupied Jerusalem district court ruled on Sunday that the state of Israel was responsible for the child's death and must pay compensation for "lost years", the circumstances of her death and for burial expenses.

Judge Orit Efal-Gabai said there was no doubt that the bullet which struck Abir was fired in violation of orders.

Abir was killed as she, her sister and two friends went to buy sweets following a maths exam at their school in Anata, near occupied Jerusalem on the West Bank side of the separation wall. Abir was hit and, bleeding heavily from a head wound, was taken to hospital.

She died two days later. Police investigators closed the file saying there was no evidence she had been killed by a rubber bullet, despite witness accounts.

Her family brought a civil case and in August last year the judge ruled that Abir's death was "totally unjustifiable" and that border guards had either been negligent or had disobeyed instructions.

Abir's father, Bassam Aramin, said at the time of that case that he could not blame an "18-year-old boy for shooting an innocent 10-year-old girl", but he held Israeli government policies to blame.

— Guardian News & Media Ltd