Video: IDF Soldiers 'punish' Palestinian village
An IDF force operating near Nablus has been disturbing
the peace of the residents of the Palestinian village of Nurif, which is
adjacent to the city, by using the public address system mounted on its
vehicles, Ynet learned Thursday.
The force, which patrolled the villages area in December,
would enter the village in all hours of the day and night, and sound the PA
system's sirens and horns, as well as use stun grenades and light flares – for
no reason.
The IDF said that the troops were found in violation of
military protocols and were reprimanded.
Ynet has obtained a video depicting two IDF jeeps
entering the village in the middle of the night. The soldiers are seen going
out of their way to disturb the residents' peace.
The video shows the soldiers, some in the jeep and some
on foot, patrolling the village's empty streets and occasionally sounding the
jeep's deafening horn.
Moments later, one of the soldiers is heard shouting "Sabah
al-noor, Urif!" ("good morning Urif") in the vehicle's PA
system, turning on a siren, and calling on everyone to "wake up!"
One of the soldiers is also seen throwing a stun grenade
at an empty area.
No riots of public disturbances took place during the
incident, nor are the soldiers seen as facing any danger that warrants the use
of what is essentially part of the crowd-control protocols.
No arrests were made in the area, either.
The incident caught on tape was one of several that took
place in December. One of the residents hedged that the soldiers were trying to
create deterrence in the area, as Urif is often the scene of clashes with
settlers in nearby Yitzhar.
"Establishing presence" was practiced by the
IDF in hostile Palestinian areas of the West Bank in the past, with aim of
forcing terror operatives out of their homes. The protocol was harshly
criticized and ceased.
IDF troops in the area are also under orders to minimize
clashes with Palestinians, given the overall unrest sweeping the West Bank in
the wake of the PA's UN bid.
A senior officer told Ynet that "If we have to go in
and arrest a wanted man we do it – but we make the effort to do is as quietly
as possible."
The IDF issued a statement saying that: "Over the
past few months, the IDF's activity in the area has been bolstered following an
increase in disturbance incidents, in order to minimize the clashes between the
resident of Urif and Yitzhar.
"During a nightly operation in December, the PA
system was used in a manner contrasting protocol and the force's commander was
reprimanded accordingly.
"The incident is being investigated in order to
avoid its reoccurrence."
Following the incident in Nurif and other similar
incidents, Attorney Emily Schaeffer sent a letter on behalf of the Yesh Din
organization to Military Advocate General Danny Efroni in which she warned that
there are suspicions that the soldiers committed acts that are illegal
according to army protocol. She demanded that Efroni order an immediate
criminal investigation into the events, which, according to her, raise
suspicions of abuse and overstepping authority.
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