IDF in Hebron (archives)
Photo: AP
Outstanding officer suspected of attacking Palestinian girl
Hebron resident tells Ynet officer hit his daughter, broke into family home and stole her camera; soldier arrested by Investigating Military Police
An officer who fought in the recent Israeli offensive in Gaza
and was slated to receive a citation for his performance was arrested recently on suspicion of assaulting a Palestinian girl in the Hebron area, Ynet has learned.
The incident occurred about a week after Operation Cast Lead ended, while the officer's unit was stationed in the Hebron area as part of routine security measures.
The Investigating Military Police sought to keep the officer in jail, but over the weekend it was decided that he would remain outside his unit in an open prison (in confinement conditions). A decision on the legal proceedings against him was expected to be made on Tuesday.
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The event began when a clash broke out between settlers and Palestinians, and the IDF was forced to intervene, causing the incident to turn violent. The officer filed a complaint with the police against several Palestinians, and they filed complaints against him. The material was turned over to the Investigating Military Police, which decided to arrest the officer, who is a settlement resident.
Taysir Abu Aisha, the father of the girl who was allegedly assaulted, told Ynet about the incident: "My nephew and my sisters came over to visit us, and they are registered as people who are allowed to enter the area according to an IDF decision, as some of them are even registered as living in a house owned by my father. The moment they arrived, a female settler emerged and began pushing them away and cursing them."
According to Abu Aisha, at this point the officer intervened and used violence against his daughter.
"My daughter Fidaa went out with her camera, and he beat her and her aunt and came into the house. In the house he beat my wife and took the camera. A UN monitors' representatives saw the signs on my wife's leg and photographed them. The officer warned the family members not to approach the area again or he would hit them.
"The amazing thing is that the officer apparently tried to precede us, and filed a complaint against my daughter," the father added. "They took us in for questioning, and the photo proved that the person who beat us and used violence was the officer. My daughter and niece were released and the investigation is ongoing, and the videotape is still with the police."
The family members also reported that the officer had a habit of entering Palestinians' homes "in order to maintain order."
Officer: I feel betrayed
Major Raanan Avtabi, commander of the Investigating Military Police in Beersheba, presented the film documenting the incident to a military judge. He stated that the officer should be kept in a military prison for fear of disrupting the investigation.
The officer's defense counsel, Attorney David Schwarzbaum said during the court hearing that there was no reason to arrest an outstanding officer over this incident.
"Even if the officer committed a scene and did something that should not have been done, this doesn’t mean that we should keep him in jail like the lowest criminal," he explained.
The officer himself noted that he would be willing to stay in a military base as an alternative to prison.
"Throughout the years I was fully trusted when it came to arresting wanted people. I have signed classified documents, and I can be trusted not to talk if I'm ordered not to," he said. "For three and a half years in the army I gave all I had in many situations in which my life was in danger, and today I feel slightly betrayed.
The judge ruled that the officer will remain in a unit which is not his own, as long as he does not contact soldiers from the unit. The Military Prosecution considered appealing the decision, but eventually decided not to demand that the officer be jailed in a military prison.
Sources involved in the investigation noted that although the incident did not lead to an injury, the army must judge severely any soldier acting against its orders. The fact that an outstanding officer was involved in this incident strengthens his obligation to act impeccably, the sources added.
Ali Waked contributed to this report
