Last Saturday at 7 a.m., Israeli Border Police detained and beat up a nine-year-old Jewish child in Hebron, after he entered a closed military zone near Machpelah House which had recently been purchased by Jews and then cleared by decree of the Defense Minister.
According to a report in Ha’aretz, a Border Police officer choked the child, holding him in the air for some 10 minutes. Only then were neighbors able to release the child from the officer’s grip. Two local residents were arrested, accused of attacking the officer.
The child’s parents lodged a complaint with the Justice Ministry’s department for the investigation of police officers on Sunday.
At this point, the child has difficulty breathing and is suffering from pain in his back and chest. A pediatric doctor confirmed the complaint and wrote that the child suffered wounds in the frontal area of his throat, as well as injuries and pressure wounds. He also found bruises in the child’s back and chest.
The Border Police issued a response to the incident, saying it is “unfortunate that the incident was presented in such a distorted way.”
The Hebron community’s spokesman David Wilder told the Jewish Press: “The complaint, as issued, is 100% correct. The border police acted like animals, attacking a child. They only care about attacking Jews.
“For example, yesterday afternoon, a young woman was attacked by Arabs who threw rocks at her, about 30 meters from where the border police are stationed, next to Machpela House. A rock missed her head by a couple of centimeters. She complained to the border police, who ignored her.
“This seems to be an intentional policy, intended to cause as many problems as possible to Jews in Hebron, while ignoring Arab attacks against them. The primary question is, who is giving the orders, who is setting this policy? Is it local, or from higher-up?”