Abusive officer apologizes to his victim
Channel 2 investigative report reveals new testimonies by soldiers of Kfir Brigade, recently involved in series of violent incidents against Palestinian population in West Bank. On show, officer who led unauthorized raid in Dahariya meets with one of his victims, apologizes
The Kfir Brigade stationed at the West Bank has been at the heart of a series of incidents of violence against the local Palestinian population in recent months. Reports in the media revealed cases of abuse, harassment and even theft among the troops, reflecting what seems to be a normative problem in the brigade.
An investigative report that was broadcast on Channel 2 Sunday evening, revealed new testimonies by soldiers about the brigade's involvement in those incidents.
Lieutenant Jacob Gigi, who was recently convicted of a series of offenses for his role in the kidnapping a Dahariya taxi driver and the injuring of a bystander, appeared on the show and exposed the culture of violence against Palestinians prevalent in the brigade.
During his interview, Gigi asked to meet with the Palestinian driver in order to ask for his forgiveness. On the show, Gigi and the driver were seen meeting face to face and shaking hands.
"Do you remember me?" Gigi asked his victim, "Do you remember my face from when I arrested you?" The driver replied that he did not.
"You know why I came here? First of all, I apologize. In this situation you were in the wrong place at the wrong time. It wasn't something personal against you. And I came her in person to apologize on behalf of myself and the troops," Gigi stated.
However, the Palestinian driver seems unconvinced: "They enter the West Bank area, shoot a person, and beat him up when he's done nothing wrong. This is wrong, that's all I have to say."
History of violence
The Kfir Brigade first made the headlines after Ynet exposed the incident in Dahariya, in which Gigi and his subordinates launched an unauthorized raid in the village, hijacked a taxicab and shot a passerby, seriously wounding him.
In another incident, soldiers from the brigade were filmed by peace activists exposing their rear ends in an attempt to make Palestinian farmers evacuate grazing fields near the Maon outpost in the area.
About three weeks ago, three combat soldiers from the brigade were indicted on charges of aggravated abuse, obstruction of justice and conduct unbecoming, for allegedly beating blindfolded and handcuffed 16-year-old detainees, and bringing a blow heater in close proximity to one of the detainees' face.
Notably, in two of the three cases soldiers made an attempt to cover up their actions and obstruct the investigation against them.
