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Officer accused of beating Palestinian-American teen suspended, charges expected
A Border Guards officer who was filmed apparently beating a Palestinian-American teenager last week during riots in East Jerusalem has been suspended and appears likely to face charges.
The mobile phone clip garnered international condemnation as it appeared to show one border policeman pinning down 15-year-old Tariq Abu Khedira, while another beat him. Abu Khedira was arrested and later released on house arrest having been accused of taking part in a violent riot in East Jerusalem in the wake of the murder of Tariq’s cousin, Mohammed Abu Khedira. Tariq Abu Khedira had been visibly injured, his head swollen and eyes blackened. He is a resident of Tampa Bay, Florida and had been visiting Jerusalem with his family. The incident prompted the US State Department to call for a “speedy, transparent and credible investigation and full accountability for any excessive use of force.”
Late last night, Israel’s Justice Ministry released a statement saying that such an investigation had been launched immediately after the incident. It said that evidence had been found that the officer in question had committed “severe violent crimes…. after the arrest of the minor, and while the minor was handcuffed.” Consequently, the officer has been suspended for fifteen days and the Police Investigations Unit is considering “bringing criminal charges against the police officer.”
Also yesterday, three of those arrested on Sunday in connection with the kidnap and murder of Mohammed Abu Khedira were released from custody. They are not thought to have carried out the murder while the other three suspects, identified by Haaretz as a 30-year-old man from a community near Jerusalem and two minors from the capital, are reported to have admitted to the crime. The killing, which appears to have been an act of revenge by Jewish Israeli extremists for the recent murder of three Israeli teenagers, sparked riots in Arab Israeli communities across the country. Israeli leaders from across the political spectrum unequivocally expressed revulsion and condemnation for Abu Khedir’s murder.