The Beitunia killings highlighted contested use of lethal force by Israeli security forces against Palestinian protesters and led to a rare criminal conviction.
Key Facts
- Date
- May 15, 2014 (Nakba Day)
- Victims
- Two Palestinian teenagers killed
- Victim named
- Nadim Nawarah, age 17
- Officer charged
- Ben Deri, Israel Border Police, age 21
- Conviction
- Causing death by negligence
- Sentence
- Nine months in jail
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
On May 15, 2014, annual Nakba Day protests were held near the Israeli Ofer Prison outside Beitunia in the occupied West Bank. Israeli authorities described the gathering as a riot in which crowds refused to disperse, while protesters maintained it was a civilian demonstration.
During the protests, two Palestinian teenagers were shot and killed. Israeli officials initially denied responsibility, questioned the authenticity of video evidence, and claimed only rubber bullets had been fired. Forensic investigation later identified Border Police officer Ben Deri as the shooter of 17-year-old Nadim Nawarah.
Six months after the killings, Ben Deri was arrested and charged. He pleaded guilty to accidental use of live ammunition and was convicted of causing death by negligence, receiving a nine-month jail sentence—an outcome widely noted as unusually rare in cases involving Israeli security forces and Palestinian fatalities.