SENIOR ISRAELI POLICE OFFICER ADMITS TO ORDERING VIOLENT REMOVAL OF
PARLIAMENTARIAN
Israeljustice.com Monday, July 07, 2008
www.israeljustice.com/news2.asp?key=133
Date added: 7/6/2008

JERUSALEM -- A senior Israeli police officer has admitted that he ordered
police to forcibly remove a parliamentarian, involved in passive civil
disobedience, from an anti-government protest, causing him serious injury.

"I would allow zero time for dialogue [with them]," Brig.-Gen. Meir
Bukovza, deputy commander of the Judea and Samaria police district, said. "I
gave the order to forcibly get rid of them."

Bukovza told Jerusalem Magistrate Arnon Darel on July 6 that he ordered
security forces to immediately get rid of Knesset members Aryeh Eldad, Benny
Elon and Effy Eitam, who were standing several meters away from a bulldozer
set to destroy one of nine homes in the West Bank Jewish community of Amona
on Feb. 1, 2006. The Knesset members, who said they were involved in passive
civil disobedience, also had parliamentary immunity from violating a
military order that prevented people from being in the area.

"I didn't recognize the Knesset member [Aryeh Eldad]," Bukovza said.
"Even today I don't know the Knesset members."

Bukovza said that the police, based on intelligence reports, conducted a
three-day training exercise before the Amona evacuation, fearing violent
resistance by Jewish protesters. Police officers testified that they were
treated to a magic show and a field trip during the training but were not
familiarized with Knesset members expected to be in Amona to assuage the
protesters.

"We thought there would be Knesset members and there was training that
began several days earlier," Bukovza said. "They trained and then had some
fun."

During the violent evacuation and demolition of the homes, at least 250
demonstrators were injured, including Eitam who was struck in the head and
Eldad, whose hand was crushed by police officer Ibrahim Rachal. The ligament
joining the thumb to the palm of his hand was torn and Eldad, formerly the
chief plastic surgeon at Jeruslem's Hadassah Hospital, is no longer able to
operate.

"The police had told us that our job was to be involved and to prevent
[violent] confrontation as we had done in the expulsion [from the Gaza Strip
and nothern West Bank in August 2005]," Eldad said.

Eldad said that the Knesset members had placed themselves between the
police and the demonstrators to try and calm the atmosphere and engage in a
dialogue with the security forces.

"The aim was protest. The location was between the police and
demonstrators to prevent violence," Eldad said. "I believed that the natural
act was to come and speak with us. [Instead] they [police] pushed us towards
the bulldozer."

Video footage presented at the hearing showed Eldad and Elon being
pushed by nine police officers towards the bulldozer which was ready to
demolish the first house. At least 500 more police officers stood in two
columns on either side of the Knesset members.

"They broke the law when they tried to interfere with the work of the
bulldozer," Bukovza said.

As soon as Eldad and Elon grasped onto the bulldozer, Bukovza shouted an
order from an adjoining hilltop to get rid of them.

"I got an order to evacuate them immediately," former police office
Ibrahim Rachal said. "I didn't know they were Knesset members."

Four police officers jumped on Eldad and it took seven seconds to peel
his hands from the bulldozer. Rachal admitted that he grasped Eldad's right
hand and footage showed him pushing Eldad's thumb back until the connecting
ligament snapped. Eldad fainted and was carried off upside down by the
officers.

Police officers, including Bukovza and Police Commander Shmuel Rosenthal
who grabbed Eldad from behind during the evacuation, failed to explain why
Eldad was not evacuated according to the police guidelines. [Four officers
each hold a limb and carry the person away].

"I would not have resisted," Eldad said. "I would have been evacuated
peacefully."

Despite the heavy casualties, Bukovza said that the police had not used
undue force in Amona but had reacted to the violence of the protesters.

"We were in a life threatening situation," Rosenthal testified. "I was
hit in the head with a brick and then in the testicles but I would not leave
my troops."

Still, video footage of the incident did not show any objects being
thrown at Rosenthal or Rachal. Instead, Rosenthal applied more force to
remove Eldad, a slight man, whom he characterized as "very strong."

"Why didn't you take another 50 policemen and remove them?" the judge
asked. "You should have prevented this situation."

Eldad was forced to bring a civil suit against the police officers after
the police unit dealing with complaints against officers twice refused to
investigate the charges or open a criminal case.

"Large claims [for damages] will deter police violence," Eldad, who now
suffers from 10 percent disability in his hand, said.