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Comments:  210
Last update - 09:22 21/07/2008
IDF soldier shoots bound Palestinian at short range
By Haaretz Service and DPA
Tags: Na'alin, West Bank, B'Tselem 

The Israeli human rights group B'Tselem on Sunday released a video showing an Israel Defense Forces soldier shooting a Palestinian youth with a rubber bullet at short range, his arms and legs bound by a high-ranking Border Police officer.

According to B'Tselem, the shooting was witnessed by several other soldiers and officers, including the lieutenant colonel who bound the teen's limbs. The organization allegedly demanded an investigation be opened into his role and that the soldier who fired the gun "be brought to justice."

The incident occurred on July 7, in the West Bank village of Na'alin, B'Tselem said. Palestinians and leftists have increased their protests in recent months against the separation barrier in the town, and the demonstrations have at time culminated in violent clashes.
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The video shows two soldiers detaining demonstrator Ashraf Abu-Rahama, 27, and holding him for an hour bound and blindfolded.

Abu-Rahama told B'Tselem that he was beaten by the soldiers and then herded by soldiers and officers to a military jeep.

In the video, a soldier is seen aiming his weapon at the demonstrator's legs from a short range. Abu-Rahama said he received wounds to his left foot and then received first aid treatment by an army medic on the spot before being released.

The video was filmed by a Palestinian girl, 14, from a window in her home in the village.

Major Avital Leibovitz, a military spokeswoman, told dpa that the
military advocate general opened an investigation into the incident.

"But there are questions about the edited parts," Leibovitz said, referring to the point where the video stops. The clip then resumes and shows footage of what appears to be a few moments later with Abu Rahama laying on the ground.

B'Tselem's spokeswoman Sarit Michaeli said the girl had accidentally stopped filming when she was startled by the gunshot and continued as soon as she became aware she had pressed the stop button.

As part of its "Shooting Back" project, B'Tselem has distributed about 100 cameras to Palestinians throughout the West Bank over the last year. Of these, several dozen were handed out in the Hebron area, where friction between Palestinians and Israelis is routine.

B'Tselem released a video last month showing the beginning of an apparent assault by masked, stick-wielding Israeli settlers on Palestinian farmers.

The footage shows four people holding sticks approaching the farmers near the settlement of Susya outside Hebron in the West Bank. One strikes a blow before the camera falls.

Israel Police this month arrested two resident of the Susya settlement, one of them a minor, suspected of involvement in the attack.

Related articles:
  • B'Tselem cameras pay off for victims of settler attacks
  • Palestinian shepherds: Masked settlers beat us with clubs
  • Israel Police arrest settlers for assault on Palestinian farmers
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      1.   FALSE 18:33  |  Hank 20/07/08
      2.   His Left Foot in Jerusalem 18:43  |  Fish 20/07/08
      3.   Disgusting act of a society who believe 18:47  |  Chris Linthwaite 20/07/08
      4.   FALSE 18:47  |  interested 20/07/08
      5.   Who will save Israel from herself? 18:47  |  Canderra 20/07/08
      6.   #1 hank 18:54  |  Labhras 20/07/08
      7.   Ah yes. An investment in hatred + cowardice. 18:54  |  Lou Medel 20/07/08
      8.   Wrong Behavior From The Military 19:02  |  Jane 20/07/08
      9.   I am sure 19:07  |  rm 20/07/08
      10.   What are the voices saying at the end? 19:08  |  Aphemia 20/07/08
      11.   Said before ? We didn`t not know..... 19:10  |  Joe 20/07/08
      12.   Knock It Off 19:16  |  Yosemite 20/07/08
      13.   "Youth" 27 years old? 19:18  |  Dave 20/07/08
      14.   Jane - Ok.. Shot in the left foot and treated immediately. So 19:22  |  qw 20/07/08
      15.   Jane - Ok.. Shot in the left foot and treated immediately. So 19:22  |  qw 20/07/08
      16.   nothing new 19:24  |  sami 20/07/08
      17.   Hank will be the investigator on this 19:37  |  Ben 20/07/08
      18.   Disturbing 19:40  |  Mark of Lewiston 20/07/08
      19.   to aphemia 19:50  |  Ben 20/07/08
      20.   to yosemite your logic sucks 19:53  |  Ben 20/07/08
      21.   Translation of Audio 19:55  |  voluntarytranslator 20/07/08
      22.   All Israel bashers 19:56  |  David Israel 20/07/08
      23.   27 year old "youth" 19:59  |  john 20/07/08
      24.   Do not worry 20:01  |  Ismail 20/07/08
      25.   Where is the video? I see only large enpty space . 20:14  |  17 20/07/08
      26.   Pallywood strikes again 20:17  |  MR 20/07/08
      27.   #22 David Israel 20:22  |  Labhras 20/07/08
      28.   what you don`t mention 20:27  |  chava 20/07/08
      29.   state terror 20:38  |  chi 20/07/08
      30.   False????? 20:51  |  Mexi 20/07/08
      31.   Very misleading title 20:51  |  Mike 20/07/08
      32.   Labhras, #6 20:57  |  Michael 20/07/08
      33.   Translation - Was this staged? 21:05  |  s 20/07/08
      34.   Labhras - First recognize it 21:06  |  David Israel 20/07/08
      35.   CRIMES CANNOT BE WHITE-WASHED! 21:07  |  A Moralist-Jew 20/07/08
      36.   Ben .. lets try and tell the truth 21:30  |  GZLives 20/07/08
      37.   # 24 Find yourself work in Arabia 21:30  |  CM 20/07/08
      38.   al Dura again and again and again and again 21:31  |  GZLives 20/07/08
      39.   Deleted by Moderator 21:32  |  Genuine Tosefta 20/07/08
      40.   Anti-Semitic Garbage 21:39  |  The Hague 20/07/08
      41.   The Untold Story of Ni`lin. 21:49  |  examiner 20/07/08
      42.   Bizarre logic from "The Hague" # 40 22:09  |  Clickfool 20/07/08
      43.   Where is the video? 22:09  |  Murray the Mongoose 20/07/08
      44.   Yosemite 22:11  |  Natallie Durson 20/07/08
      45.   A Road to Damascus moment for S # 33 22:13  |  Clickfool 20/07/08
      46.   anti-semite 22:18  |  ihsan 20/07/08
      47.   #32 Michael dont hold your breath 22:25  |  Labhras 20/07/08
      48.   Sorry to see this, although it comes as no surprise 22:32  |  Natallie Durson 20/07/08
      49.   We had enough of France 2 style reporting 22:40  |  Conrad 20/07/08
      50.   Heroes 22:49  |  Jeroen de Jager 20/07/08
      51.   Palestinian film:truth or consequences 22:50  |  Moshe 20/07/08
      52.   Anyone with eyes can see the soldier is aiming away 22:50  |  ButTooClose 20/07/08
      53.   interesting 22:50  |  Joseph 20/07/08
      54.   stupid move 22:52  |  Boris Tuman 20/07/08
      55.   This is the subject 23:01  |  Fränkl Gábor 20/07/08
      56.   # 39 Genuine Tosefta 23:02  |  Kareem 20/07/08
      57.   The Untold Story of Ni`lin 23:02  |  examiner 20/07/08
      58.   Caught on Video 23:03  |  Amram 20/07/08
      59.   The IDF and Border Police..TYPICAL..... 23:04  |  ALI 20/07/08
      60.   #13, Dave, 27 year old is youth; 4year old Jewish tot is civilian 23:07  |  Terry 20/07/08
      61.   Jewish Courage VS Jewish Thugs 23:09  |  Gray 20/07/08
      62.   For ButTooClose #52 23:26  |  Clickfool 20/07/08
      63.   ishan 23:37  |  Ami 20/07/08
      64.   The anti peace crowd desperate to hide the truth 23:38  |  Labhras 20/07/08
      65.   Actually I staged the movie. 23:41  |  Andreas 20/07/08
      66.   Demanding murder (#39 Tosefta) 23:45  |  ruiz 20/07/08
      67.   #45 CF 23:46  |  Moshe 20/07/08
      68.   Re # 61 23:50  |  Fränkl Gábor 20/07/08
      69.   61 Gray,while I applaud B`tselm and other peace groups 23:52  |  lakshmi 20/07/08
      70.   Olmert: Their Morals, ethics and ours! 23:53  |  Abbas