https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-suspends-soldiers-for-beating-and-taunting-left-wing-activists-in-hebron/
IDF suspends soldiers for beating and taunting left-wing activists in Hebron
Footage
shows soldier tackling Breaking the Silence guide and punching him in
the face, as another boasts that incoming extremist minister will ‘sort
things out’ in flashpoint city
By EMANUEL FABIAN
The Israel
Defense Forces on Friday suspended two soldiers who physically assaulted
and taunted left-wing activists in Hebron, the latest in a series of
incidents involving the Givati infantry brigade in the flashpoint West
Bank city.
In footage shared by Breaking the Silence, a
non-governmental organization that collects and publicizes mostly
anonymous testimony by former Israeli combat soldiers about alleged
human rights violations against Palestinians, one soldier can be seen
tackling an activist to the ground and punching him in the face.
The
group of activists had traveled to Hebron to meet with local
Palestinian families as an act of solidarity after Israelis visiting the
city in an annual pilgrimage initiated clashes with them last week.
In
the footage, troops were seen attempting to detain the man, who flees,
before he was knocked to the ground and punched. Another soldier is
heard shouting at the other activists: “Get the fuck out of here.”
The
assaulted guide was subsequently interrogated by Israeli police for
allegedly assaulting a soldier and preventing him from carrying out his
duties, his lawyer told the Ynet news site, adding that his client was
still being held, despite his injuries. Two other activists were also
detained briefly for unclear reasons, the lawyer said. Footage from the
scene did not show an assault on the part of the activists.
In
a separate video from the scene, a soldier from the same squad was seen
confronting an activist and boasting about far-right lawmaker Itamar
Ben Gvir, who is set to become Israel’s next national security minister —
an expanded public security minister role.
“Ben Gvir is going to
sort things out in this place,” the soldier says. “That’s it, you guys
have lost … the fun is over,” he added.
Asked by the filming
activist, “Why? Am I doing something illegal?” the soldier replies,
“Everything you do is illegal. I am the law,” and orders the activist to
step back.
“We can already see the effects of Ben Gvir’s
appointment on the ground,” read a subsequent statement issued by
Breaking the Silence.
The soldier was wearing a patch velcroed to
the back of his military vest that read, “One shot. One kill. No
remorse. I decide.” Patches other than those showing the logo of a
military unit or an Israeli flag are against military regulations.
The
Israel Defense Forces in a statement said the incidents would be
investigated by the commander of the Central Command, Maj. Gen. Yehuda
Fuchs.
“The soldiers involved were suspended from operational activity until the end of the investigation,” the IDF said.
Military
chief Aviv Kohavi condemned the soldiers’ actions, saying they were
“extremely serious and contrary to the values of the IDF.”
“The
regulations and procedures allow soldiers freedom of action to carry out
their mission, but they are not allowed to use force unnecessarily and
they are not allowed to act violently,” Kohavi said in a statement.
The
activists said they were in Hebron to meet with Palestinians as a sign
of solidarity following last week’s violent clashes in the city. At
least two Palestinians and one soldier were hurt in those clashes last
Saturday. They came as thousands of Jewish Israelis spent the weekend in
the city for an annual pilgrimage.
Friday’s incident marked the third violent incident involving troops from the Givati Brigade in Hebron in recent weeks.
Last
week the IDF suspended a soldier after he cursed a Breaking the Silence
activist. “You’re a traitor to the country and you’re a son of a whore,
son of a bitch. I wish you get cancer all over your body,” the soldier
said.
Breaking the Silence runs regular tours through Hebron,
highlighting what the group believes to be the negative ramifications of
Israel’s military control of the flashpoint city on its Palestinian
population. The tours often evoke anger from the hardline Jewish
settlers living in Hebron — as well as the IDF soldiers defending them —
who argue that Breaking the Silence falsely presents the reality of the
divided city.
Another three troops of the brigade were suspended
last month over an assault on a Palestinian man. That case was being
investigated by the Military Police and was also condemned by IDF chief
Aviv Kohavi.
The West Bank has been on edge over the past year,
with the IDF launching a major anti-terror offensive mostly focused on
the northern West Bank to deal with a series of Palestinian attacks that
have left 30 people in Israel and the West Bank dead since the start of
the year. Hebron is in the southern part of the territory.
The
operation has netted more than 2,000 arrests in near-nightly raids, but
has also left around 150 Palestinians dead, many of them — but not all —
while carrying out attacks or during clashes with security forces.
At the same time, there has been a steep rise in settler attacks against Palestinians and security forces.