Further evidence has emerged Thursday following the suspension of Israeli military officer, Shalom Eisner, countering statements made by the officer.
Footage was released showing Eisner striking a Danish activist with the butt of his rifle. Furthermore, reports stated that other civilians at the protest had been injured due to the aggression of the Israeli military. He had claimed that he had lost restraint after being beaten with sticks by the protestors and suffered a wrist injury, but that his actions were necessary for Israeli security.
The newly released footage from Palestinians TV Channel 2, via Israeli human rights organization, B’Tselem, details Eisner’s attacks against activists, showing that the attacks began after one cyclist had tried to continue cycling forward, ignoring the Israeli military blockade, showing that the military personnel at the scene were not under any imminent threat.
Speaking to Harriet Sherwood of British daily, the Guardian, the assaulted activist shown in the original video, going by the name Andreas Ias, expressed his frustration at the inequity of media coverage with regards to Internationals and Palestinians, stating, “No one would care if a Palestinian was hit with a rifle”.
Subsequently, the office of the Israeli Military Spokesperson has attempted to distance the incident from its usual practice despite regular reports of violence against Palestinians that break regular rules of engagement and international law, including reports of violence against non-violent demonstrations in West Bank villages each Friday afternoon.
Eisner, who has been demoted following the incident and barred from command duties, may be eligible to be promoted and return to such a position of seniority after two years. It had been leaked to Israeli news site, +972 Magazine, that Eisner was due to be promoted to the rank of Colonel and become Deputy Commander of Bahad 1, the Israeli military’s main school and training base for all of its officers.
The footage may be viewed at the following link:
