Ajawi displays scarred back
Photo: B'tselem
Rajah Abu-Arkub
Photo: B'tselem
IDF to probe Palestinian abuse claim
West Bank resident says he was wrongfully arrested for stone throwing and abused along with five others
Ayish Ajawi, a 31-year old Palestinian from the West Bank village of Samua, claims he was abused by IDF soldiers for 12 hours after they wrongfully apprehended him on suspicion of throwing stones at Israeli vehicles.
The army said no formal complaint has been filed by Palestinians in relation to the incident, but added that a probe will be launched into the alleged abuse.
Remnants of War
Stacey Maltin
New website encourages Israeli soldiers to share their war stories with world to contest barrage of negative imagery associated with IDF
"From the moment they arrested us until close to 5 am the next morning we were blindfolded," he says. "In all that time, every hour or half hour, soldiers came and punched us, sometimes beat us with bats, and yelled and cursed at us all the time."
Ajawi says that as the only Hebrew-speaker among the prisoners he attempted to get the soldiers to quit the abuse, but that they refused. The troops yelled that they would not release him "until Hamas returns Gilad Shalit," he says.
Mohammad and Rajah Abu-Arkub, two others who were imprisoned along with Ajawi, told B'tselem that some of the prisoners were also robbed of the contents of their wallet during the night.
On the basis of the testimonies, the organization appealed to the police, the military prosecution, and the military police in demand to launch an investigation against the allegedly abusive soldiers.
The IDF Spokesman's Office issued a statement on the matter, saying that "Conferment with the Civil Administration has revealed that no Palestinian complaints have been lodged regarding these events."
However, the statement said, "the IDF will investigate any claims regarding improper behavior allegedly carried out by its soldiers."
The IDF says the area had been overrun by Palestinians who were throwing Molotov cocktails and stones at passing vehicles, and that soldiers had been on the lookout for the culprits. An improvised explosive device was also found.
The army also said that in the same area in 2009 so far three explosive devices have been set off, five incidents of firebomb attaks were recorded, and 13 improvised explosive devices have been discovered. Civil Administration officials have appealed to village chiefs to curb these actions but to no avail.
