IDF soldier to be charged with severe abuse of Palestinian detainee in West Bank
Soldier allegedly beat cuffed, blindfolded man with butt of gun, burnt him with cigarette, urinated and smeared feces on him; other soldiers, shocked, reported incident
An Israeli soldier is set to be charged with severely abusing a Palestinian detainee in the West Bank last month, the military said Tuesday, as a media report revealed gruesome details about the alleged incident.
On October 22, soldiers of the Paratroopers Brigade were carrying out vehicle inspections at the Gilboa Crossing north of Jenin when they found a knife in a Palestinian man’s car and detained him.
The Palestinian man was taken in handcuffs to the nearby Jalamah army post, where he was held at a guard post while awaiting questioning by the Shin Bet security service, according to details of the case published by Channel 12 news.
A soldier stationed at the post allegedly kicked the Palestinian man, who was handcuffed and blindfolded, struck him with the butt of his gun, lit cigarettes and extinguished them on his body, urinated on him, defecated inside the post, and smeared his feces on the detainee’s body and face while urging him to eat it, according to the report.
Other soldiers who arrived at the post detected a strong odor and saw what had been done to the Palestinian man. Shocked by what they saw, they reported the incident to their commanders, the report said.
The battalion commander then referred the incident to the Military Police.
The military confirmed that an investigation into “the severe abuse of a handcuffed and blindfolded Palestinian detainee” was opened by the Military Police following reports by commanders, and that one conscript was arrested over the allegations.
The Palestinian detainee was released by the military after the incident, according to the IDF. Channel 12 reported that the Palestinian later testified before the Military Police about the abuse.
During the soldier’s interrogation, the report said, he admitted to striking the detainee, but denied the other allegations. Still, his account conflicted with information held by Military Police investigators and testimony from other soldiers, according to the report.
The IDF said a military court ordered the soldier kept in custody until November 12 to allow a hearing before prosecutors file an indictment against him.
The unnamed suspect’s defense attorney told media that they would not comment on the case as it is still under investigation.