There is anger among members of the Netzach Yehuda Battalion (Nachal Chareidi) as some of their colleagues were struck by border police after the soldiers refused to remove Beit El residents who protested following a terrorist attack in an IDF post near the community.

According to eyewitness reports, border police attacked two Nachal Chareidi soldiers and detained them forcibly as well as taking their weapons. One of the soldiers took off and border police chased after him inside the Nachal Chareidi base, but border police were blocked off by other soldiers. Border police turned the other soldier over to the Netzach Yehuda Battalion Commander. The soldiers in question were friends of the soldiers killed in the Givat Assaf attack, and all of the soldiers have had a difficult week, with colleagues killed and seriously wounded in terror attacks.

According to the soldier, “Border Police officers often abuse their authority and deviate from their duties, but this incident is a crossing of a red line in the disgraceful behavior of the Border Police. They not only harassed the Jewish residents, but then harassed soldiers whose friends were recently murdered, and whose only crime was assisting the heroic settlers who protested their murders.”

Attorney Itamar Ben-Givir commented, “beyond the difficult legal problem that arises from the conduct of these policemen at the event, this is a moral crime… Our enemies see the pictures and the publications from the same incident and laugh at us… These are pictures that strengthen the terrorists’ and to the Department for the Investigation of Police officers should investigate the incident in order to bring to justice the beating policemen.”

“It should be noted that the responsibility for the entire event lies on the shoulders of the Israeli government,” adds Ben-Givir. “If we reach a situation in which policemen and soldiers struggle with one another, and all this as a result of continued governmental interference with terrorism, then the finger is directed at the Israeli government.

The video shows the scene shortly following the attack on erev Shabbos.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)