Last update - 00:00 21/02/2008
Police chief dismisses officers over Oct. 2007 Peki'in clashes
By Jonathan Lis, Haaretz Correspondent
Northern District Police Chief Major General Shimon Koren received a demerit in his personal file from Police Commissioner David Cohen for his role in the violent clashes between police and the Druze residents of the western Galilee town of Peki'in in October 2007.
The commissioner also dismissed two senior officers in the Northern District, Brigadier General Nir Mariash who commanded over the Galilee district, and Chief Superintendent Yossi Ben-Hamo who was the operations officer in the district.
The clash in Peki'in left 40 people injured, among them two seriously, and erupted when a large police force entered the village to make arrests over a vandalized cellular phone antenna. Among the wounded were 24 police officers and 13 civilians, and three suffered gunshot wounds.
Following the incident, the police force was accused of using undue force and failing to handle the incident in a safe manner. The police commissioner consequently appointed a committee to investigate the conduct of the officers during the incident.
The members of the committee found a string of failures in the conduct of the large police force that arrived in Peki'in in October 2007 to carry out the arrests. Among other things, the committee found that the operation did not achieve its express goal and its consequences were dire. "The operation was leaked ahead of time, which eliminated the element of surprise," the committee wrote. "The operation was not properly organized; the plan did not rely on the available intelligence; the definition of the operation was altered shortly before it was carried out; a gap was discovered between the actual plan and the officers' and commanders' understanding of it; police officers were left without proper command in the midst of a public disorder, and the chain of command was dysfunctional," the committee found.
The police commissioner rejected the committee's recommendation to prosecute the commander of the northern district, and decided that a personal demerit would suffice. He justified his decision by saying that the fact that the commander Koren was present at the scene does not make the incident entirely his responsibility, and that he had authorized the operation in principle only.
The committee published its findings on Thursday though its report was completed and submitted to the police commissioner several weeks ago.
Brigadier General Mariash was transferred several weeks ago, to become the head of technology in the police force. This is a non-command post.
Several commendations were also handed out for exceptional behavior during the incident.
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