A police conduct complaint was submitted to the Police Investigations Department for alleged brutality used against a woman during eviction of a Shilo suburb last Thursday.
In the complaint, entitled Violent Evacuation and Severe Violation of Woman's Privacy, Attorney Menashe Yado of the Honeinu organization requested an urgent investigation and that the Court seize all videos from the incident.
"A complainant who was evicted from her home during the destruction of Geulat Zion turned to me and gave me harsh testimony about the use of violence against her and her children and baby, which led to exposing her private areas to police officers and to the cameras."
The lawyer describes the woman's testimony, saying it was given while she was crying. "They took the boy, he started yelling 'Mommy, mommy,' after that they came to me, grabbed my four and-a-half-year-old son and took him out, and after that they came to me and told me to go out. I said that there was no way and they started to pick me up. Then the Border Policewomen came and started simply crushing my eight-month-old's head, then they took him and scratched him in the face.
"After that, they just threw off my head covering and I started yelling and begging them to bring me my head covering. They didn't care about that, they just lifted my legs, a man held me from behind and the women held my arms and they started to take me out. I tried with all my might to get my head cover, it didn't interest anyone. Then when they took me outside I realized that one hand wasn't in my shirt... then he pulled my pants off... " it was written.
The complaint details how her privacy was severely violated when a policeman removed her clothes, including her undergarments, while dragging her from her home, while other police officers videoed the incident.
Last Thursday Civil Administration forces came to Geulat Tzion together with a large police force to demolish three buildings on the site. In addition to the woman's complaint about violence and harassment, there were further complaints of violence by Border Policemen and of personal objects that disappeared during the eviction.
Attorney Yado said: "We demand an urgent investigation be conducted of all videos of the incident and we want to get explanations for stripping the pants and underwear off the complainant's body as well as for each of the details of the complaint."
The Israel Police said in response, "Unfortunately, once again we encounter slander and false claims against fighters who performed their duties flawlessly. From examining the details and viewing the operational documentation of the incident, it appears that it was the woman who employed verbal violence, racism, and active resistance against the fighters who came to carry out their mission, and not the other way around. Forces operating in the area encountered severe violence from the settlers who objected while cynically using children and helpless infants in an attempt to thwart the evacuation and demolition of illegal buildings.
"In one of the buildings, two women with children were barricaded, one of them violently objecting to the evacuation while shouting racist slogans at police officers who were forced to evacuate her while maintaining her dignity, even though she was the one who did not respect the dignity of the uniformed men and was far from behaving as if she wanted to protect her child. The documentation of the incident proves that the woman in her violent resistance is the one who caused her head cover to fall and her claims are not in consonance with reality," the police said.
The police added that "those who chose to present the case while distorting the facts should make a soul-searching in light of the video, which demonstrates the police's professional and sensitive conduct in the face of rioting and violent and irresponsible behavior. Moreover, it would be appropriate that before choosing to publish such false slander to let the case be presented in accordance with the documented truth."