Clashes in Bil'in (Archives)
Photo: Haim Tzach
Soldier suspected of assaulting Palestinian
Yesh Din rights group files complaint against solider stationed in Ramallah-adjacent village of Bil'in for allegedly attacking local councilman
The Military Police arrested an IDF soldier for allegedly assaulting a Palestinian man in the village of Bil'in, near West Bank city of Ramallah.
Tuesday's arrest followed a complaint filed by Yesh Din – Volunteers for Human Rights, which claimed that several soldiers beat village councilman Muhammad Khatib.
Khatib told Ynet that the soldiers assaulted him despite the fact the he identified himself, injuring him to the point of needing medical attention, which he receive at the Ramallah Hospital.
The Yesh Din complaint claimed that one of the soldiers threatened Khatib that "unless the (anti-security fence) protests stop, you'll end up like Bassem," referring to Bassem abu Rahma, who was killed during a protest rally in the village in April.
In the complaint, sent to the Military Prosecution, Yesh Din alleged that "the group's activists have logged several complaints by residents of Bil'in which paint a bleak picture of unrestrained violence by IDF soldiers against them."
While welcoming the arrest, Khatib added that "it's important to remember that this is a system-wide problem. The real problem lies with (soldiers) coming to arrest people, who are only taking part in a popular protest, in the middle of the night, and acting against citizens as if executing a military operation."
This was not the first violent incident involving Bil'in residents, he added, but it was the first time an official investigation had ever been launched.
Hanan Greenberg contributed to this report
