Thursday, October 31, 2019, 20:04 On Thursday, October 31, investigators from the Police Investigation Unit (PIU) approached the family of the child who was hit by a border policewoman the previous day and asked them to come in to the station to file a complaint on the matter with the PIU. Initiating such an investigation is a precedential step for the PIU and is apparently due to the severity of the assault.
The border policewoman slapping the boy; Video credit: Tiferet Simha Picard
The border policewoman, who is stationed at the Kumi Ori neighborhood in Yitzhar, was filmed hitting and slapping a eight-year-old boy. She also called him an “idiot”. The incident occurred on Wednesday, October 30, in the afternoon, when children from that neighborhood and the adjacent neighborhoods had gathered for a bonfire with Kumi Ori residents. Other children also complained about the border policewoman’s violent behavior and that of another border policewoman at the site.
Two weeks prior to the incident, a border police company took over a building in the neighborhood, which was placed under a closed military zone order, creating a nightmare for the residents. The border police incessantly demand to see ID cards and prevent the entry of neighbors, baby-sitters and grandparents coming to visit their grandchildren.
In light of the disturbing documentation Honenu Attorney Menashe Yado, who is assisting the boy and his parents, sent an urgent letter to the police demanding that the policewoman who slapped the boy be suspended from her duties and that the regulations be refreshed for all of the police.
The boy’s father called for an end to the situation: “We live here. This is where our children run around, play and walk to their friends’ homes. The decision to place a battalion of border policemen here and to demand the presentation of an ID card every time a woman walks to a neighbor’s home is unacceptable and of course that causes friction. It is unreasonable for a policewoman to hit children and slap a boy like this. We demand that the security forces stop this harassment of residents and hope that someone higher up will acquire some sense.”