Zionist authorities cleared an Israeli colonel of any criminal charges after shooting dead a Palestinian teen in the West Bank last year.

Zionist authorities cleared an Israeli colonel of any criminal charges after shooting dead a Palestinian teen in the West Bank last year.

Colonel Israel Shomer had been under investigation for the July 3 shooting near Qalandia checkpoint, south of Ramallah, that killed Mohammad Kasba, 17.

The occupation army claimed a Palestinian had thrown a rock through the windshield of Shomer's vehicle and that in response the officer "exited his vehicle and fired into the air and towards the lower extremities of the assailant."

"However, due to the reality of the operational situation, the shots resulted in the death of the assailant," it said in a statement.

"The military advocate general concluded that the shooting of the perpetrator was not criminal and the event does not justify taking legal action against the officer."

A rights group that distributed a video showing the shooting denounced the decision.

The video distributed by the B'Tselem human rights group showed the shots were fired at Kasba while he seemed to be running away after stoning the jeep.