Israel – Residents of the settlement outpost Mitzpe Avihai near Kiryat Arba have released video footage showing a Border Guard dragging a young man by his side-locks. The settlers claimed that during the demolition of the buildings, security forces directed violence against families and youths who came out of the buildings slated for demolition. The demolition early Thursday morning also led to “price tag” acts of revenge against Palestinians.
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Civil Administration forces and police came to the outpost where some 30 young people lived who claimed the police threw stones and acted wildly. The six buildings, including a synagogue, were demolished, and violent confrontations broke out. Security forces reported that the incident passed relatively quietly, except for a case of stones being thrown at the IDF jeep of the deputy brigade commander. The families who lived in the buildings claimed that serious violence had been directed against them and against their children.
The settlers filed claims at the police internal investigation department. According to one claim, a youth aged 14 was kicked in the stomach by a police officer, while his brother, aged 17, was also attacked and dragged by his side-locks for merely filming the events. According to the charge, their mother was also attacked. According to another claim, another youth was struck on his head, choked and beaten.
The settlers also said police had not displayed identification tags, and that when the mother of the two youths came to submit a complaint about the incident, Hebron police arrested the two. The mother told Ynet on Thursday evening that the family lives in Otniel. Because her son is just 14 and was staying in the outpost when rumors of the evacuation came, she came with her other son to collect him. When he had been found, they went out to photograph the remains of the synagogue.
“We took pictures,” the mother related. “There were youths there with masked faces who annoyed a Border Guard officer, it seems, who took it out on my son. He suddenly appeared and dragged him a hundred meters by his side-locks, hurting his back. I tried to ask him to leave him alone and explain that he wasn’t involved, but he pushed me brutally down.”
When she came to file a claim against the violence, she says, the officer who had attacked her son recognized her, and decided on a different version of story with his comrades. According to his version, it was the youths who attacked the police. After more than 10 hours at the police station, the two brothers were brought to the Jerusalem Magistrates’ Court to have their detention extended.
“The one who brutally attacked is blaming the victim,” the mother said. “The police officer should be kept away from serving against Jews and against Arabs. It is forbidden to act like that with human beings. All my life I have taught my children not to act violently.”
During the incident Thursday, four people were detained for questioning. In response to the demolition, the settlers said, they set alight nearby crops belonging to Palestinians and threw stones at Palestinian houses as part of the “price tag” policy. On Thursday evening they already declared they were working on rebuilding the outpost, also known as Hilltop 18.
“We are working hard to rebuild the settlement, adopting a policy of expansion against the destruction,” said Arieh Davis, who was evacuated with his wife and children from the outpost. He added that Defense Minister Ehud Barak would not be permitted to sacrifice the settlement enterprise.
We also saw a video of a Satmat wedding where 2 kids were trying to dance with a PLO flat and ond elderly Satmar pulled the flag away from them. The 2 kids beat up the old man.
Looks like the police learned from the kids what to do.
Anyone who watches the videotape can clearly see a large policeman grab a 14 year old boy by his right peya and drag him for at least 50 yards–the boy grabs on to the policeman’s arm to prevent his peya from being ripped off.
The policeman does not heed the mother’s begging nor the repeated requests of a bystander to stop being violent.
Congratulations to the security forces for finally showing some backbone and not taking any abuse from either settlers or religious demonstrators who break the law and then expect to be treated with kid gloves. These dreche call the police all sorts of vile names, throw rocks and garabage at them and force them to risk their saftey to remove the illegal settlers rather than protecting EY from the real terrorists. We should see more such firm resonse to any portester who defies a police order. Otherwise, we will have chaos if anyone can decide which police orders to obey. Please tell us where we can send funds to help defend this brave officer against any legal or political retaliation.
That lady should have shot the police “officer” to defend her son. After all, its all on video. In any other society this kind of behavior would certainly lead to civil war. Even communinst Russia could not keep up the oppression forever. This will not end well
What’s the whole issue now its done daily to the chareidem who protect the graves of our sages
theese settlers are anarchists they want chaos to prevail in israel so they could satisfy their mindless goals
Nu, so if you don’t like being dragged around by your payos, follow the law. If you decide that you know better than the law, and you’re willing to fight the police to prove you’re right, you might have to live with being dragged around by the payos a little bit. And then you should thank God that you live in a country that they don’t just shoot you when you don’t follow the law, instead of dragging you off to face a fair trial.
I seem to recall a hasidic saying to the effect that the peyot are meant to be handles which Rav Nachman can grab to pull the side-locked devotee out of Gehinom (hell). Can’t see what’s wrong with the cops using them for the same purpose.
Nothing new here. In every country its normal for citizens to ask their religions to be respected except in Israel the only place where they’ll dig graves out arresting parents for wanting to have a jewish school and so on. But we have to believe to believe that this is the best place for jews. What a joke. Did you know that this is the only place where so many jews had been murdered since ww11?
hey#9 youre mindless rantings here dont help a bit you should know better, you follow the law of the land youre not the one who makes the rules or youre cooreligionists no country on eath lets its citizens go nuts without consequanses if you hate israel that much to talk evil about it here then you or youre friends get out of there by the way you would be shot in any other country for treason you must hate youreself also since youre hate is so intense that you say any stupidity that comes into youre head
Maybe the country needs a constitution more than it needs a bunch of frum political parties.
Police brutality at its worst.
What a shame of a state and police! where are all the human rights organizations? please go out and take care of those beasts!
Typical for the brutal Israeli police.
if he really would have been dragging him by only the pious he would have ripped it out. The police felt the boys hand on his hand so decided to move big deal.
If the police and the government tell you to move move if not you face the consequences.
Anyways this lunatics are putting the whole country in danger . The government needs to act faster in dismantling these illegal outposts
he was also holding on to his shirt no big deal here
I wish to the heavens, that Israel be found innocent and right in all our conflicts with the nations, and flotilas etc.
However, I am unfortunately very skeptical, due to films like this one. (And there are very very many).