Israelis indicted for brutal assault on Palestinian in occupied West Bank

Three Israelis — a counterterrorism police officer, a Border Police volunteer and a civilian — have been charged with brutally assaulting a Palestinian civilian in the occupied West Bank and leaving him unconscious and bleeding next to a checkpoint. According to the Times of Israel, the Department of Internal Police Investigations (DIPI) filed the indictment this morning at the Central District Court.

The indictment accused the trio of aggravated assault, abduction, aiding abduction, illegal possession of weapons and additional firearms offences for their roles in the attack against Laith Awaine, a Palestinian resident of Bethlehem, in August. The DIPI has requested that the suspects should remain in custody until the legal proceedings are complete. The department also revealed that it is still considering charges against other Israeli suspects connected to the case. Following an undercover investigation, nine suspects were arrested in November, including four police officers, four Israel Defence Forces (IDF) soldiers and the civilian now charged.

Awaine was attacked when he was visiting Auja Stream with friends. The incident happened when Israeli Border Police volunteer Dvir Oni, on duty with IDF soldiers, accused Awaine and others present of being associated with Hamas, after which the victim was handcuffed and beaten by Oni, who, it is alleged, slammed his head into a car.

Oni then contacted Tiran Galmodi, an Israeli police officer, and Saar Ofir, a civilian, who arrived at the scene wearing masks and joined in the violent assault, reported the Times of Israel.

The indictment further reveals that Galmodi, suspended at the time, kicked the Palestinian victim in the head and struck him with a tree branch, while Ofir hit the man in the eye with the butt of a dummy rifle. The assault was so brutal that Awaine lost consciousness.

Moreover, Oni photographed the handcuffed man bleeding on the ground before kicking and stepping on him again. He was then abandoned on a road near the Hamra Checkpoint, several miles from the scene of the attack.

Awaine was later found unconscious and taken to the Turkish Hospital in Tubas, in the northern West Bank. According to the hospital’s medical report, he was unconscious when he arrived, with extensive injuries, including broken teeth, a split lip, leg wounds, back and eye trauma and fractures in his vertebrae and ribs.

Galmodi also faces an obstruction charge for instructing a soldier involved to provide a false account of the incident. Moreover, the investigation uncovered large amounts of illegal weapons and ammunition in the possession of Ofir and Galmodi, including assault rifles, hand grenades and thousands of bullets. Both men face additional charges related to these findings.

All parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Jerusalem are witnessing raids and incursions into villages and towns by the occupation forces and illegal Jewish settlers. All of Israel’s settlements and the settlers who live in them are illegal under international law. The International Court of Law reiterated this fact in July and ruled that the Israeli occupation must end.

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