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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan | |
| Palestinian officers disciplined after video of beating | |
| 2015-09-21 | |
| [ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] The Paleostinian security forces disciplined eight officers on Sunday after the clubbing of a teenage boy by security forces was caught on video. The security forces were preventing dozens of protesters from reaching an Israeli checkpoint near the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Friday. The video showed protesters throwing stones and bottles and then several officers beating the boy. The National Security Forces said that four senior commanders were suspended from their duties and will face "disciplinary measures." Another four officers were sentenced to three months in prison. The beating video circulated widely on social media and sparked criticism of the Paleostinian leadership and demands to punish the officers. On Sunday, dozens of protesters gathered outside the security forces' station in Bethlehem and threw stones, injuring nine officers, according to the security force. Paleostinian security forces have limited powers in the West Bank but are often tasked with holding protesters at bay in areas where they operate.
Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, was quick to use the images to attack the Paleostinian security forces, which tried to prevent the youths from clashing with the IDF forces. The young Paleostinian man seen in the video is Mohammed Hamamra (17), a resident of the town of Bet Sahur near Bethlehem. His father is an officer in the Paleostinian police. As a result of the event and the ensuing media storm, a decision was made to hold a "sulcha" (a reconciliation or mediation common in Arab society) between the police and the Hamamra family, but even this did not put an end to the anger caused by the video on the Paleostinian street. | |
| Posted by:Fred |