Three soldiers sentenced for beating detained Palestinian attacker

Three soldiers who beat a Palestinian attacker in Hebron who was detained on suspicion of terrorist activity were sentenced to 42 days in prison by the military court in Kastina, near Kiryat Malachi.

Video of the October incident shows Nahal infantry brigade members forcefully arresting the man – after he resisted, tore off his handcuffs and attacked the company commander. The soldiers admitted to using violence, as part of a plea deal reached with military prosecutors.

After the commander testified that the soldiers assaulted the man during a jeep ride, in which he was under their full control, Military Police opened a criminal investigation. The soldiers continued to shout and humiliate the detainee even after they were ordered to stop, according to the testimony.

A statement released by the army said the soldiers were demoted, but that the conviction will not become part of any criminal record.

Three other soldiers – also charged with abusing a Palestinian detainee near Hebron – were indicted by a military court last month.

Video of that incident showed soldiers kick and hit a man on the head before they push him to the ground and detain him. The army said the man refused inspection by the soldiers; a fellow member of the company testified that the soldiers continued to hit and verbally abuse the Palestinian after he was in handcuffs.

In late March, an officer from the elite Yasam Israel Police Special Patrol Unit was caught on video assaulting a Palestinian truck driver and others in the Wadi Joz neighborhood of east Jerusalem. The officer is seen head-butting, then repeatedly punching and kicking the driver, and fighting others who came to defuse the situation.