ABD A-RAHMAN, a nine-year-old Palestinian boy, testified yesterday at the Hebron police station after he was kicked by an Israeli border police officer in the flashpoint West Bank city.
The incident was filmed by a volunteer for the Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem who uploaded the video to YouTube. It shows a border policeman waiting in ambush next to an alley and grabbing the boy as he walks past. He violently shakes the boy’s hand, asking him in Arabic: “Why are you causing trouble?” A second border policeman kicks the boy and leaves.
The boy testified as part of the investigation into the incident launched by the Israeli police investigations department.
He told the police investigators this was not the first time he had been attacked by Israeli forces. A month ago, in a separate incident, the boy said an Israeli soldier stamped on his hand after he was stopped with a friend at a military checkpoint.
According to the boy, the soldiers gave chase after his friend swore at one of the officers.
Hebron is holy to both Jews and Muslims. The city was divided in 1997 but tension remains high in the Israeli-controlled sector, where a few hundred militant settlers live in close proximity to some 30,000 Palestinians.
Sarit Michaeli, a spokeswoman for B’Tselem, said the border police must take proactive measures to halt attacks on children.
“The security forces need to be made aware that the use of physical violence against children is completely prohibited,” she said.
Omar a-Rahman, the boy’s father, said the soldiers should be tried in an international court. He claimed it was not the first time border policemen had abused local Palestinian residents.
“My son did nothing wrong. He was on his way home when the soldiers stopped him in the street. It is a disgrace the way they treated a nine-year-old boy,” he said.
Border police spokesman Shai Hahimi said the incident occurred after stones had been hurled all day at border policemen from the alley from which the boy emerged.
“The border police view such acts as severe violations of the values the branch holds in high esteem. It is important to note, however, that this was a rogue incident that does not represent the faithful work done by the border policemen for the sake of Israel’s security,” he said.
See video here
