RAMALLAH, West Bank, 24 March 2007 — The three Israeli Border Guard policemen who were caught on camera beating a 17-year-old Palestinian youth at the West Bank village of Huwwara, near Nablus, on Wednesday, admitted to the act after being questioned yesterday morning by the Police Investigation Unit in Tel Aviv. Two of them are suspected of excessive use of force. A Palestinian citizen documented the incident.
On Thursday, Border Guard chief Hassein Fares ordered that the three policemen be suspended. Hassein said Thursday, following the incident, “I view such behavior as extremely severe. The matter will be probed by the Police Investigation Unit.”
The Israeli Police Investigation Unit has also contacted the Palestinian teen, Hindawi Qawarik, who was allegedly abused by the officers and will summon him to give his testimony soon.
According to Qawarik, the policemen detained him and his friends after they were leaving school, and then “two of the policemen started hitting me on the legs with a rifle, punching me, slamming my head against the door of a nearby container, pushing me to the floor and hitting me in the head.”
Mohammad Barakeh, member of Israeli Parliament of Hadash party told Arab News that “members of the Border Guard and the security forces draw their cruelty from the prevailing atmosphere in the Israeli street.”
International Solidarity Movement, who had volunteers on the scene, said in a press release yesterday that the Israeli soldiers claimed that Palestinians were throwing rocks from the rooftop. “As Yousef opened the door for the army, the soldiers proceeded to smash the window on the door.
The soldiers then demanded all four families in the building to leave, including women and children. One of the soldiers hit Yousef in the chest with the butt of his rifle and three soldiers forced him against the wall, where the soldiers verbally abused Yousef.” Activists from ISM then arrived and started filming the incident.
