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Last update - 07:14 30/07/2008 ANALYSIS: Israeli security forces losing control in the West Bank By Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondent Tags: West Bank, Israel  Recent protests around the village of Na'alin in opposition to the separation fence seem to show a loss of control. The death of a 9-year-old, apparently shot by a Border Policeman, is the most serious turn of events so far. Palestinian sources said the boy, Ahmed Moussa, was in the area of the clashes and was shot in the head; the Palestinian Authority's director of civil affairs, Hussein al-Sheikh, and West Bank Civil Administration head Brig. Gen. Yoav Mordechai agreed that an Israel Defense Forces doctor would examine the boy's body to determine the circumstances of his death. However, a series of events - the shooting of a bound Palestinian protester; two Military Police probes; and as of Tuesday the suspension of a battalion commander - show a worrying and dangerous downward spiral. The fact that these happenings are taking place under increased scrutiny by the international media encourages the opponents of the fence to ratchet up the conflict. Apparently, it also increases pressure on IDF officers, who are having difficulty keeping events in check. Na'alin has in recent months become an arena of daily fighting as work on the fence there has damaged thousands of dunams of agricultural land owned by the villagers. The struggle against the fence is relatively violent, with dozens of Border Police and IDF soldiers injured by stones thrown at them. Advertisement The release by the human rights organization B'Tselem of video footage showing an Armored Corps battalion commander, Lt. Col. Omri Bruberg, holding a protester while a soldier shot him with a rubber bullet at a distance of about 1.5 meters, focused media attention on protest and ignited an embarrassing battle of versions between the battalion commander and the soldier, his direct subordinate. Following the Military Police probe, a polygraph test and leaks to the press, GOC Northern Command Gad Eisenkot (Bruberg's commanding officer) gave the necessary, if belated, order to send the officer on leave until the investigation is concluded. Even according to Bruberg's minimalist version, he authorized the soldier to rattle his weapon "as a deterrent," when using a weapon to frighten a restrained person is strictly forbidden by the rules of engagement. Now Bruberg is also under investigation for allegedly kicking a Palestinian. In the latter case, it is still difficult to know whether the complaint is authentic or whether it is a matter of "hitching a ride" on an officer who is clearly in trouble. According to IDF statistics, the boy who was shot Tuesday was the first Palestinian citizen to be killed in the West Bank this year, after the killing of 34 terrorists (the Palestinians count a number of civilians killed, but they, too, concede that the number is low). That figure reflects more care in this matter than in previous years, along with a lessening of friction with the Palestinian population. The control by PA security forces in the West Bank, as well as security coordination with the IDF, are improving. But every funeral of a child oils the wheels of the struggle and could result in major terror attacks. The Shin Bet security service notes that pictures of dead children following Operation Warm Winter in March was a major spur to the terrorist who attacked the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva. The situation in Na'alin is the kind of problem that requires the personal attention of Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, as well as of GOC Central Command Gad Shamni. In an interview in 2004, Ashkenazi, then deputy chief of staff, said: "My greatest concern is that the IDF will lose its humanity because of the continued fighting." That has not happened to the extent Ashkenazi feared, but neither does the chief of staff's campaign to restore discipline to the IDF after the Second Lebanon War seem to have been a great success in view of the events in Na'alin. Related articles: Officer suspended after failing polygraph over Na'alin shooting IDF launches new probe of officer who ordered bound Palestinian shot Palestinian boy, 9, killed during protest at West Bank fence Bookmark to del.icio.us   'Weeds' whacking The Showtime series has steered away from Jewish stereotypes - until now. Stepping stones Hizb ut-Tahrir, which calls for a worldwide Islamic state, marches through Gaza.   1.   When one`s actions look bad under 03:29  |  KenB 30/07/08   2.   Tragedy 03:45  |  jjvanka 30/07/08   3.   No Protests if Fence Were Built on Israeli Land 04:07  |  Johan Odin 30/07/08   4.   Wishful thinking 06:13  |  Gili 30/07/08   5.   Second largest media corps in the world is in Israel, not Darfur 06:31  |  Genuine Tosefta 30/07/08   6.   An excellent analysis! 06:37  |  Victor 30/07/08   7.   No Deaths If Not For Arab Terror 06:43  |  Yishai Kohen 30/07/08   8.   Stand firm 07:56  |  Gilad 30/07/08   9.   Arabs understand each other well,they stop riots in no time 09:12  |  PETER SM 30/07/08   10.   Israeli security forces losing control in the West Bank 10:24  |  Natallie Durson 30/07/08   11.   #4 Gili dons the rose coloured glasses 10:33  |  Johnboy 30/07/08   12.   # 3 Johan 10:42  |  Chris 30/07/08   13.   Fear of the fence 11:06  |  Gilad 30/07/08   14.   Not "downward", but "consistent" 11:34  |  Raymond Deane 30/07/08   15.   Pals push their brood in front as shields,as usual 12:15  |  Absolute Sweden 30/07/08   16.   Losing Control 13:16  |  NK 30/07/08   17.   Where are the protestors when Israeli children are blown up?? 13:26  |  hypocrisyisrampant 30/07/08   18.   #5 Blame the OIL $$$ 13:34  |  El-Moghraby 30/07/08   19.   JOHNBOY`S RHETORIC 13:47  |  Brant 30/07/08   20.   Brant is clueless... 16:29  |  Ibrahim 30/07/08   21.   Israel`s hold on the West Bank is unchanged, 18:45  |  Diane 30/07/08   22.   #19 Brant Makes Me Laugh...... 05:55  |  Johnboy 31/07/08   23.   easy answer: forthrightly kill invaders 17:52  |  frenz 31/07/08   24.   THIS IS JUST ANOTHER OF SIGN OF MERT`S CURSED REIGN;HE HAS 18:20  |  glenna 31/07/08   25.   Armies and civilians just do not mix 14:30  |  Outsider 01/08/08

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