Palestinian: Border Guard officers beat me up

Abd al-Khaled Shalatef says he was on his way to friend's house in Nablus when force attacked him. 'They told me to spread my legs,' he tells Ynet. 'When I fell, they punched my head for 10 minutes, then left me for an hour and a half in sun.' Board Guard says unfamiliar with incident

Ali Waked|Published: 07.23.09 , 15:29

Abd al-Khaled Shalatef was on his way back from work in Ramallah and on his way to visit a friend living in Nablus. Instead, he had a violent encounter with Border Guard officers. He recounted the incident in a conversation with Ynet.

"I had another friend with me, and we started to walk by foot on the road to Awarta because we didn't manage to hitch a ride or catch a cab," said Shalatef. The two reportedly came across a jeep of Border Guard officers.

The Border Guard and the Palestinians on Thursday. (Photo: Zecharia Sida)

"The officers in the jeep got out and asked for our identity cards. They asked me what I was doing there. I told him I was going to visit a friend on my way home.

"The officer took my ID, checked it in the computer, and said to me, 'You are a security official in the Palestinian Authority.' I responded, 'You're right. I've been a police officer for 13 years in the national security services, and today I work with family members in Ramallah. I already finished my service,'" recounted Shalatef.

90 minutes in the sun

At this point, according to Shalatef, the Border Guard officers responded violently. "Two officers took me behind the jeep, leaving my friend and another person on the other side. They told me to spread my legs. I spread them just like when someone is looking to do a body search, but apparently they were just looking for a laugh and started to spread my legs until I fell on the ground.

"After I fell, two officers, one of them an Ethiopian, started to hit me over the head and on my back with their fists and feet. I started to yell, so they put me in the jeep and continued beating me. This continued for close to 10 minutes.

"After that, they took me out of the jeep and left me behind the jeep for nearly an hour and a half in the sun," said Shalatef.

Shalatef's saving grace, according to him, came in the form of three international peace activists walking along the road: "They started to take pictures. That's when the Border Guard treatment changed drastically. They started to ask me if I need help or water. I answered, 'Nothing. Just release me.' Then they took me out of the sun into the shade for another half an hour until they ultimately released me."

Shalatef said that he intends to submit a complaint against the officers with the Coordination and Liaison Authority at Hawarra. The Border Guard said in response that it was unfamiliar with the incident, but that the report had been transferred to the Police Investigation Unit.