Israeli who burned Palestinian teenager alive ruled sane

A psychiatrist has ruled that an Israeli found to have led the burning alive of a Palestinian teenager Mohmmad Abu Khdeir in 2014 was responsible for his actions, the lawyer for the victim's family said on Tuesday.

The court found that Yosef Haim Ben-David, 31, was the ringleader of the chilling attack, but his lawyers submitted last-minute documents saying he suffered from mental illness.

The court then appointed a psychiatrist who "concluded that the principal accused lied about his mental state to avoid judgement," lawyer Mohannad Jbara said.

The last-minute legal manoeuvres on behalf of Ben-David had been harshly condemned by Abu Khdeir's family, who expressed doubt they would get justice.

Ben-David's next court hearing is scheduled for 22 March.

Earlier this month, a court sentenced his two young Israeli accomplices to life and 21 years in prison for the killing, which was part of a spiral of violence in the run-up to the 2014 Gaza war.

The two were minors at the time of the attack in which they snatched Abu Khdeir, 16, from an east Jerusalem street and then killed him. 

Abu Khdeir's murder was seen as revenge for the killing of Israeli teenagers Naftali Frenkel, Gilad Shaer and Eyal Yifrach, who were abducted from a hitchhiking stop near the flashpoint West Bank city of Hebron. 

Israeli authorities said the suspects had decided to kill a Palestinian and equipped themselves with cables, petrol and other materials before randomly choosing Abu Khdeir. 

Ben-David's case comes with tensions once again high, with a wave of Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks since last October. 

The violence has claimed the lives of 27 Israelis, as well as an American and an Eritrean. Israeli forces have killed 176 Palestinians, most while carrying out attacks, but others during clashes and demonstrations.