Dear friends, As Data Coordinator at B’Tselem, I receive all the complaints about violence by Israeli security forces toward Palestinians, and forward them to the respective law enforcement agencies to ensure accountability. Over the summer we documented several cases of severe violence. Ostensibly the incidents are not related: they took place in different locations, allegedly committed by police and soldiers from different units. Yet they share a unifying theme: I believe many of these acts would not have been perpetrated without the prevailing atmosphere among the security forces that is so utterly dismissive of harm to Palestinians. In the Jewish calendar, this is a time for soul-searching. As a society we should pause to consider the unbearable ease with which our security forces employ violence toward civilians they are supposed to be protecting. These are not rare occurrences, but rather a broad, ongoing phenomenon enabled by a society’s willful blindness and the forgiving attitude of authorities who dismiss perpetrators as “a few bad seeds”. The authorities must instruct soldiers unequivocally that they must use only the minimum force necessary to perform their mission. They must also seriously and effectively addressing complaints by Palestinians about violence by security forces, and bringing those responsible to justice. Such a response will deliver a very clear message that people cannot, under any circumstances, be abused. For this Hebrew New Year, I wish all of us a good year, blessed with genuine respect for the rights of all human beings. Noam Raz Data Coordinator | After viewing B'Tselem video, Israeli military judge: Innocent Palestinian man was assaulted by soldier, detained for almost a month | On 12 Sept. 2012, Israeli military court judge, Maj. Daniel Kfir unconditionally released ‘Abd al-’Aziz Fakhouri, a young Palestinian man who was arrested almost a month ago in Hebron by soldiers out of uniform. The judge made the ruling after watching two videos. The first video was broadcast in the Israeli media, and the second was recently uncovered by B'Tselem. The judged ruled that the videos prove that the arrest was groundless, in contrast to an official IDF spokesperson announcement. | | READ MORE >> | | Suspicion: Border police assaulted teen in custody. Abu Dis, 28 August 2012 | Testimony collected by B’Tselem shows on 28 August 2012, Sa’id Qiblawi, age 14, chanced on an area near his home in Abu Dis where children were throwing stones at border police officers. On trying to leave, Qiblawi was stopped by a policeman who, he testified, dragged him on the ground and put him inside a jeep, where, lying on the floor, he was beaten by other police officers. More beating followed at the nearby border police base. B’Tselem contacted the DIP demanding an inquiry into his case. | | READ MORE >> | | Policeman Tasers Palestinians at Meymadion Water Park, 21 August 2012 | On 21 August 2012, Talal a-Sayed, a resident of a-Tur in East Jerusalem, was assaulted by police during a family visit to the Meymadion water park in Tel Aviv. The assault, reported in Haaretz, was partly documented on video by a bystander. The clip shows the policeman tasering a-Sayed while he is sitting, handcuffed, on the lawn. B’Tselem collected testimonies from a-Sayed, who lodged a complaint with the Department for the Investigation of Police (DIP); another young man assaulted earlier by the police and eyewitnesses. The DIP told B’Tselem it was investigating. | | READ MORE >> | | Video: Soldiers assault journalists covering demonstration. Kafr Qadum, 17 August 2012 | On Friday, 17 August 2012, a B’Tselem volunteer filmed the weekly demonstration in Kafr Qadum protesting the closure of the Qadum-Nablus road. Soldiers are seen assaulting journalists with clubs. When media published the clip, the army announced a Military Police Investigation Unit inquiry to clarify the circumstances of the incident. | | READ MORE >> | | Suspicion: Soldiers beat, seriously wounded ‘Udai Abu Mariah, 31 July 2012 | On the evening of 31 July 2012, soldiers stopped ‘Udai Abu Mariah, age 19, at the Beit Ummar checkpoint in the Hebron district, claiming he was wanted for questioning. Abu Mariah was taken by jeep to a nearby military base. The soldiers beat and abused Abu Mariah en route and after arrival, severely injuring him in the abdomen. Instead of being taken to receive medical treatment, however, Abu Mariah was abandoned for several hours, lying on the floor and moaning in pain, with soldiers periodically beating him again. During the night, soldiers finally took him back to the checkpoint and let him go. | | READ MORE >> | | B'Tselem seeks English language editor | Responsible for precision, style and language of all B'Tselem materials in English. This is a part-time position based in Jerusalem. | | READ MORE >> | |
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