Soldier files assault complaint against Haaretz photographer
IDF Spokesperson's Office says soldier conducted himself inappropriately even if it was the photographer who initiated scuffle near evicted Hebron house
An IDF soldier filed a complaint with the Hebron Police Sunday against Haaretz photographer Tess Scheflan, who he claimed assaulted him over the weekend while she was covering the events in the city.
Scheflan claimed the soldier beat her, leaving her lightly wounded, and she was taken to the Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem.
Police have launched an investigation into the incident. According to the IDF, the soldier claimed that he struck the photographer only after she had attacked him first.
Haaretz photographer treated by IDF paramedics (Photo: Activestills)
Scheflan gave Ynet her version of the events: "One of the Palestinian families in Hebron asked us to visit their home, which apart from one room had been taken over completely by the IDF. Soldiers saw me there. When I left the apartment, I took photos of three more soldiers from afar. One of the soldiers ran towards me and another photographer, Oren, and tried to grab the camera.
"The soldier attacked Oren and took hold of his neck. I photographed the soldier, and when he noticed me he simply turned around and punched me in the face. I fell to the floor, but he continued to strike me with the butt of the rifle until other soldiers intervened," she said.
According to Scheflan, she lost sight in her left eye. "I couldn't move or see anything. It was very stressful. An army paramedic examined me and said I had to be evacuated because Magen David Adom emergency services could not approach the area. So we took a Palestinian cab to Kiryat Arba, and from there I was taken to Shaare Zedek with a possible concussion," she recalled.
The IDF issued a statement saying "In the late morning hours three people carrying cameras bearing stickers of B'Tselem (human rights organization) arrived at a Palestinian home located near the disputed house. The soldier claimed that he struck the photographer only after she hit him first.
The IDF Spokesperson's Office said the soldier conducted himself inappropriately even if it was the Haaretz photographer who initiated the scuffle.
