IDF officer whose soldiers attacked journalists reprimanded

Although initially removed from his post, deputy company commander not prosecuted or dismissed from army

An IDF officer whose subordinates attacked two foreign journalists in the West Bank was reprimanded but will be spared criminal prosecution or an early dismissal from the army, Channel 2 reported on Tuesday.

The officer, identified only as “A” in keeping with army regulations, served as a deputy company commander in the Givati infantry brigade until his suspension in the wake of the September incident, which was caught on camera.

The IDF’s Military Prosecutor decided to not press criminal charges against the soldier and handed the case over to military police, who settled on reprimanding the officer at a disciplinary hearing. The soldier has since been released from the army after concluding his service.

The officer was removed from his post in October after he and soldiers under his command were filmed destroying cameras belonging to two AFP journalists near Nablus in the West Bank.

“Italian videographer Andrea Bernardi and Palestinian photographer Abbas Momani were covering clashes between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers in Beit Furik near Nablus after a funeral when they were assaulted,” AFP said in a news report recounting the incident.

“Soldiers threatened them with their weapons while also hitting and shoving them. Bernardi was thrown to the ground and held there with a knee against his chest and a gun pointed at his face until he managed to show his press card,” the French news agency said.

“The soldiers also smashed a video camera and a stills camera, and took away another stills camera and a mobile phone,” AFP said.

At the time A’s behavior faced withering criticism in hearings held by commanders from the battalion to the command level.

“This was a serious incident from an ethical and command perspective that will be investigated and its lessons learned,” the IDF said in a statement.