Court Delays Sanity Hearing in Burned Palestinian Case

An Israeli court on Tuesday postponed a hearing to determine whether the leader of a Jewish gang that burned a Palestinian teenager alive is sufficiently sane to be held responsible.

The closed-door hearing was put off until February 11 to allow more time for a psychiatric review of Yosef Haim Ben-David, according to the lawyer for the victim's family, Mohanned Jabara.

Mohammed Abu Khdeir, from the Shuafat area of east Jerusalem, was killed on July 2, 2014 after being kidnapped by three Jewish extremists, who poured petrol over the 16-year-old and burned him alive.

Prosecutors said Ben-David, 31, was the leader of the three-member gang and he was found responsible for carrying out the killing along with two minors by a court in November.

However, shortly before the ruling his lawyers entered a plea of insanity which would mean he was not criminally responsible for his actions.

The two minors were convicted and prosecutors have called for life terms to be passed down at their sentencing, which is due to take place on Thursday.

Ben-David, who was a resident of the Adam settlement in the West Bank, is said to have wanted revenge for the kidnapping and killing of three Israelis at the hands of Palestinians in the occupied territory.

Both incidents were part of a cycle of violence that led to the 2014 war in the Gaza Strip.