politics
IDF Soldier Detains Palestinian Shepherd in Jordan Valley Firing Zone After Settler Complaint
Video shows the soldier cocking her firearm, aiming it at the man and pushing him with the barrel against his chest in a privately owned area near Al-Hadidya on Friday morning. A human rights activist described the sequence of events after an Israeli settler called soldiers to the scene. Separate incidents involving settlers occurred Thursday near Beit Iksa and Friday in Shuqba.
May 15, 5:15 PM·2m read1 source
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An IDF soldier was filmed on Friday morning pushing a Palestinian with her rifle in the northern Jordan Valley after cocking the firearm and aiming it at the man who, according to the video, did not pose a danger to her or threaten his life. The soldier pushed the Palestinian by pressing the barrel of the loaded weapon against his chest.
The IDF has yet to provide a comment on the incident, Haaretz reported.
M. According to eyewitnesses, the soldiers arrived at the location after being called to the area by an Israeli settler who was patrolling. The area is located in an IDF firing zone whose boundary is not continuously marked on the ground, even though it is legally registered as private Palestinian-owned land.
"The settler led the army, three junior soldiers came and demanded that the Palestinians move away," a human rights activist present on behalf of the Jordan Valley Activists organization told Haaretz. When an argument developed with the soldiers, the group moved about 200 meters away together with the Palestinians to make sure they were outside the firing zone.
"While we started walking, one of the soldiers shouted at the shepherd to come to him, but he does not understand Hebrew," the activist said.
Several additional soldiers arrived at the scene to reinforce the forces, and the Palestinian was taken into custody in a military vehicle. "The residents tried to talk to the soldiers. They asked them to release him and claimed that this is family land," the activist added.
