Soldier to be charged with severe abuse of handcuffed, blindfolded Palestinian detainee in West Bank

An Israeli soldier is set to be charged with severely abusing a Palestinian detainee in the West Bank last month, the military says.

According to details of the case published by Channel 12 news, on October 22, soldiers of the Paratroopers Brigade carrying out vehicle inspections at the Gilboa Crossing north of Jenin 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.

A soldier stationed at the post allegedly kicked the Palestinian man, who was handcuffed and blindfolded, struck him with 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 noticed a strong odor and saw what had been done to the Palestinian man, and reported the incident to their commanders. The battalion commander then referred the incident to the Military Police.

The military confirms 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 soldier in his mandatory service was arrested over the allegations.

The Palestinian detainee was released by the military after the incident, according to the IDF. Channel 12 reports that the Palestinian later testified before the Military Police about the abuse.

In the soldier’s interrogation, the TV report says that he admitted to striking the detainee, but denies the other allegations. Still, his account conflicts with information held by Military Police investigators and testimony from other soldiers, Channel 12 reports.

The IDF says a military court extended the soldier’s detention until November 12 to allow a hearing before prosecutors file an indictment against him.