Israel Matzav

Who gave the orders?

Israel's police force has been given thirty days by a Jerusalem court to disclose who gave the order to beat non-violent protesters with truncheons and trample them with horses at the 'settlement outpost' of Amona in February 2006. According to one account, the order was given in the context of a lawsuit for punitive damages filed by a girl who was trampled by police horses at the demonstration. According to the first account linked above, the order was given in the context of a lawsuit by a boy who had his head bashed in by police at the demonstration.

Judge Anat Ziner of the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court accepted an appealed filed by the Yesha Human Rights Organization and instructed the police to provide answers to questions regarding the procedures set before the evacuation within 30 days.

The police will have to state who allowed the forces to use truncheons and what method was used for the division of labor and authorities between the different teams on the ground.

...

Police officers indicted or sued in claims for punitive damages following the Amona events claimed that they had acted according to orders and commands received, but many questions probed by the [investigatory] committee remained unanswered.

The court decided to demand that the police provide information on the procedures following a lawsuit filed by a youth who was seriously injured in the head after being beaten with a bat by a mounted policeman during the evacuation.

...

According to the statement of claim, the boy was hit in the head by a mounted policeman and collapsed on the ground. According to the youth, other police officers in the area continued to beat even after he fell to the ground.

He was rushed to the hospital, and suffered for months from an infection in his arm, a meniscus tear in his knee, headaches, dizziness, anxieties and fears.

The statement of claim also reveals that the boy's ability to concentrate was also harmed and that a significant drop was recorded in his grades at school.

In the past, the youth filed a complaint with the Police Investigation Unit, but the case was closed due to an "unknown criminal". He then decided to file a claim for damages against the police with the assistance of the Yesha Human Rights Organization.

But here's the key: The police have been ordered to name names.

She therefore instructed the police to provide information, including the names of the officers who took part in the operation and the orders issued by senior commanders to the officers on the ground.

The judge also ruled that the police must provide the explicit name of the element who issued the orders and state whether instructions were given to use truncheons and horses against the protestors.

Here's betting the police appeal.

For those who have forgotten, the picture at the top is a friend of my son's who was badly beaten at Amona. I don't know whether he's the boy mentioned in the YNet article (the one from which I cited at length). He was about 16-17 at the time.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 2:23 PM