Occupied Jerusalem: An Israeli soldier has sparked outrage by posting a photograph appearing to show the back of a Palestinian boys head in the crosshairs of his sniper rifle on a social networking site.
The context of the picture, posted on the personal Instagram site of Mor Ostrovski, 20, could not be verified but the aggressive message is clear. The minarets and Arabic architecture of the village captured in the background suggest the boy and the town are Palestine. Ostrovski is an Israeli soldier in a sniper unit.
The image has been heavily criticised online. Electronic Intifada, a news site focused on Palestinian issues, described the photograph as tasteless and dehumanising. The site published several other images from Ostrovskis Instagram page, including snaps of the soldier posing with heavy-duty guns.
The Israeli military has been hit by a series of scandals from uncensored social media sites, and Electronic Intifada has been one of the more rigorous monitors of offensive postings by Israeli soldiers.
In another unrelated incident, an infantry corps soldier was recently sentenced to 14 days in military prison for posting a picture of himself beside a handcuffed and blindfolded Palestinian on Facebook.
