Video captures soldiers beating Palestinian bystander

Footage released on Friday by Israeli rights group B’Tselem shows IDF soldiers beating up an apparently innocent Palestinian bystander near Ramallah.

The incident occurred on October 6, according to B’Tselem. The victim was identified as 25-year-old Ansar Aasi.

The video, captured by a wall-mounted security camera, shows Aasi bringing supplies into a storage room in the town of el-Bireh. Outside, several individuals can be seen moving quickly. Noticing approaching soldiers, he lifts his hands while crouching.

A soldier then enters the storage room, pushes him down as three others follow in, occasionally beating Aasi and shoving him around before dragging him out of the storage room.

The soldiers handed him to the Judea and Samaria police and charged that he had thrown rocks, according to B’Tselem.

B’Tselem charged that the police refused to check evidence to counter the soldiers’ claim, including the video.

“Only following a hearing on remand at the Ofer military court were police willing to view the footage, which was brought to them on Friday, October 9, 2015,” B’Tselem said.

Aasi had spent five days in detention before being released on October 11, according to the report.

The Israeli military said an initial inquiry of the security camera footage showed troops “did not act in accordance with the standards.”

The army said it was still investigating the incident, which took place at a time when Palestinians were throwing rocks and firebombs at troops nearby.

Aasi said he wasn’t involved in violence. “I raised my hand and told them I didn’t do anything but they beat me everywhere,” Aasi told The Associated Press. He said he was detained for five days and only released after his employer showed police the CCTV footage.