Yeshiva student who witnessed incident where a Golani soldier was filmed beating an Arab activist in Hebron says activist struck first.
The Golani soldier who was imprisoned after he was filmed assaulting a Palestinian-Arab activist in Hebron on Monday was defending himself after he was attacked, according to a Jewish witness to the incident.
The soldier was filmed knocking PA-Arab activist Issa Amro to the ground and kicking him. Amro was accompanied by a US film crew that included prominent journalist Lawrence Wright of The New Yorker, who wrote afterward that, “I never had a source assaulted in front of me until today, when an Israeli soldier who stopped my interview did this with a Palestinian peace activist Issa Amro in Hebron. I can’t stop thinking how dehumanizing the occupation is on the young soldiers charged with enforcing it.”
The incident allegedly began with Amro claiming that he wanted to take Wright on a tour of his home-town and being denied passage by the soldier. He took out his camera and started filming the soldier while approaching him. The soldier then took Amro aside, asking him to wait until a senior officer arrived. Amro began yelling and cursing; in response, the soldier pushed him back in the direction he had come from.
The soldier later said that Amro hit him, and in response, he shoved him onto the sidewalk and kicked him. Amro asked for help but when an army medic arrived, he declined to accept his assistance. He was later detained for questioning.
The soldier was sentenced to 10 days in military prison and was suspended from active duty.
The soldier has received witness support for his version of the events. Yair Avrahami, a yeshiva student who was present at the incident, said today: “The Arab attacked the soldier and hit him in the ribs. Earlier, the activist, who is known in Hebron as someone who harasses soldiers and settlers, harassed the soldier who kept him away from the area he was not allowed to approach. The Arab hit the soldier in the ribs, and only then did the soldier react.”
“Another official lie by the IDF spokesperson against a soldier has been exposed,” said the Torat Lechima organization. ‘The soldier was beaten by the Arab anarchist, and responded. This is a known anarchist who two months ago caused the commanders to punish the Givati soldiers in Hebron, and it is a failure and a disgrace that the commanders knowingly allow the soldiers to be bullied, and then punish them because of pressure from the extreme left. We expect Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to stop the disgrace and give his support to the soldiers.”
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National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also expressed his support for the soldier on Tuesday.
Writing on Twitter, Ben-Gvir stated, “This anarchist who constantly harasses IDF soldiers in Hebron and tries to prevent them from carrying out their tasks has been at it again, just this time, he was accompanied by a film crew from the American media. I wholeheartedly support the soldier who did not remain silent. Soldiers need to know we have their backs, rather than being sent to prison.”
The IDF spokesperson stated: “Following the documentation of the incident in Hebron, the incident was thoroughly investigated by the commanders. The investigation shows that a violent confrontation developed between a Palestinian and an IDF soldier in Hebron, during which the soldier beat the Palestinian. Following the conclusions of the investigation, the soldier was sentenced to ten days of confinement, at the end of which it will be decided whether he will continue his service as a soldier. The IDF views all violent behavior as serious and condemns it.”
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