Text and photos by: Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Activestills.org
Just about every article covering the social media meme supporting the Israeli soldier caught on video cocking and aiming his gun at Palestinian youths in Hebron includes a line something like, “soldiers are tired of having their hands tied” when dealing with Palestinians. To help relieve any confusion, this is what having your hands tied looks like:
But wait for it–this sick joke has a punch line. As The Times of Israel reports:
‘The IDF regrets the erroneous reports on the punishment of the soldier and emphasizes that his imprisonment stemmed from violence against his officers and was not connected to the video in question, which will be investigated as a separate matter when he returns to duty,’ the IDF said in a statement. ‘Incidents of violence in the Nahal brigade are taken very seriously and are not consistent with IDF values.’
Despite the bizarre claim that violence is inconsistent with military values (perhaps they only meant against other soldiers), reports by +972’s Mairav Zonszein and Amnesty International’s recent report, “Trigger-happy: Israel’s use of excessive force in the West Bank” describe the reality faced by Palestinians:
Israeli forces have repeatedly violated their obligations under international human rights law by using excessive force to stifle dissent and freedom of expression, resulting in a pattern of unlawful killings and injuries to civilians. They do so with virtual impunity due to the authorities’ failure to conduct thorough investigations.
Read more:
A Palestinian has been killed every 4.2 days in 2014
When IDF aggression becomes civilian violence