The night of October 22nd, 2007
Tel Rumeida, Hebron
Human Rights Workers (HRWs) last night witnessed eight Israeli soldiers attacking three Palestinian youths at the Tel Rumeida checkpoint, kicking them and striking them with their guns. One of the youths had allegedly insulted a soldier some nights ago, and since then at least three young Palestinians are reported to have borne the brunt of daily beatings from the soldiers.
Elders from the community confronted the soldiers about the attacks, leading to the defamation of the HRWs, when soldiers claimed that the HRWs had paid the children to provoke them, and were then selling the footage to international media.
HRWs are stationed in the Tel Rumeida neighborhood of Hebron to try and prevent this kind of harassment by their very presence. It is thought that the fear of “getting caught” on film would help curb the violence against local Palestinians from soldiers and settlers. The very idea that HRWs would try and create the kind of situation is absurd, and in fact HRWs working with ISM consider it a good day when nothing can be reported.
Instead what is clear is that soldiers, caught attacking defenseless children, wish to push the blame on to someone else.