2 Border Guards indicted for assaulting Palestinians

Officers prosecuted for slapping, kicking, intimidating Palestinians attempting to enter Israel

Aviad Glickman|Published: 07.11.11 , 17:35

The Police Internal Affairs Bureau filed charges Monday against two Border Guard officers accused of assaulting and intimidating illegal aliens at a checkpoint near Bethlehem. Gennady Mazevich, 22, and Moshe Alkobi, 21, were charged with obstruction of justice as well.

According to the indictment, which was submitted to the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court, a few Palestinians arrived at the crossing in January 2010 in order to enter Israel for employment purposes. They staked out the checkpoint, waiting for a moment when they could slip by the Border Guards undetected. The officers noticed the infiltrators, stopped them and lined them up against a nearby fence.

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At this point, Mazevich began slapping the Palestinians, kicking them and shoving them against the fence. One of them, Zalah Rani, a resident of the village of al-Ḥaḍr, fell from the force of the push, and Alkobi used the opportunity to kick the man in the face, breaking his teeth.

Following the violent acts, the Palestinians were lead to the checkpoint. Meanwhile, Mazevich called another officers, asking him to help in releasing Rani, to prevent him from filing a complaint against him and Alkobi. Mazevich then gave Rani his identification card back, threatening to "break his head" if he returns to the site.

Another Border Guard officer, Shani Sivilya, was convicted recently in a plea bargain of abusing a helpless minor, intimidation and negligence. As per the indictment documents, Sivilya aimed a gun at a 17-year-old Palestinian detainee's head, and pulled the trigger while saying "death to Arabs" and "Arabs are whores." She admitted that her actions were racially motivated.