Seven soldiers from the IDF's Netzah Yehuda battalion, more commonly known as Nahal Haredi, allegedly committed a series of violent assaults on detained West Bank Palestinian prisoners. All were arrested. Six are expected to be indicted tomorrow.
Above: file photo of an earlier incident of Nahal Haredi soldiers assaulting a Palestinian man, June 2015
Haredi Soldiers Arrested For Allegedly Harshly Abusing Detained Palestinians
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
Three Israel Defense Forces combat soldiers from the Netzah Yehuda battalion, more commonly known as Nahal Haredi, allegedly beat a Palestinian the battalion had detained while operating in the Jenin area of the West Bank, Ha’aretz reported.
Military Police believe the three soldiers haredi soldiers bashed the Palestinian’s head into a wall and hit him repeatedly in the head.
The soldiers claim they took the Palestinian man to the bathroom. Afterward, he refused to walk so the soldiers used what they called “reasonable force” to make him walk.
Meanwhile, four other soldiers from the haredi brigade were arrested by Military Police for other alleged acts of violence against Palestinians.
Six of the soldiers are still in military prison as the investigation continues, and it is reportedly likely they will be indicted tomorrow.
The seventh soldier was released but is confined to his base.
The soldiers are being represented by Honenu legal aid nonprofit, which is closely linked to the banned Kach and Kahane Chai movements and other offshoots of the late extremist Rabbi Meir Kahane.
Hay Haber, a Honenu attorney who is representing two of the soldiers, claimed the Palestinian injured himself in order to slander the soldiers – which is the story the soldiers also claim to be true.
“It’s a shame that the military authorities have chosen at this time during which the security forces in general, and IDF soldiers in particular, are working day and night in order to restore security to civilians, and instead of giving them freedom of action and the minimal backing needed, these same combat soldiers have found themselves arrested and forced to deal with the baseless claims of a terrorist,” Haber said.
The IDF Spokesman’s Office disagreed.
“This is a serious incident that does not meet the standards expected from IDF soldiers. The incident was investigated by the unit’s commanders and is now under Military Police investigation,” he IDF Spokesman’s Office reportedly said.
An IDF source told Ha’aretz there are serious suspicions that the haredi soldiers harshly abused the Palestinian.
In June, several Nahal Haredi soldiers were caught on video assaulting an unarmed Palestinian man.