Teen indicted on suspicion of pummeling Palestinian family’s dog

A teenager is indicted on charges of animal abuse and trespass, both racially motivated, for allegedly severely beating a dog belonging to a Palestinian family last month.

The 16-year old, who cannot be named because he is a minor, is a resident of the Maale Adumim settlement in the central West Bank.

The incident came to light after video footage emerged of a suspect repeatedly beating a dog on the head with two clubs until it apparently lost consciousness, and then continuing to club it afterwards.

The dog belongs to a family in the Palestinian village of Atara, near Ramallah, whose yard the defendant had allegedly illegally entered during a raid by settler extremists in the village.

The official X account of the Office of the Prime Minister of the State of Palestine posted a day afterwards that the dog had survived the attack and was treated by veterinarians for its wounds.

The indictment, filed to the Jerusalem Juvenile Court, alleges that the teen had trespassed into the Palestinian family’s yard in Atara on several occasions during 2026. In the incident in question, he allegedly entered with two of his own dogs, carried two clubs, and beat the dog, causing it severe injuries.

Prosecutors have requested that the teen be held in custody until the end of legal proceedings against him.