Friends of IDF Lt. Adam Maloul have begun circulating a petition accusing the IDF of conducting a “witch hunt” at Maloul's expense. Maloul is accused of hitting a suspect while searching for a terrorist among a group of Arab men. [Petition, in Hebrew]
"IDF prosecutors have shown a record-breaking level of interest in Lt. Adam Maloul,” the petition states. Maloul has spent more than 60 days in prison, and a court has ordered him to remain under house arrest until a verdict is reached.
Maloul has been ruled “too dangerous even to wander the streets of Nes Tziona,” his friends said, despite the fact that he is not accused of causing injury and was not involved in any other complaints of violence during his three years of IDF service.
Furthermore, they pointed out, Maloul is not accused of hitting an Arab due to anger or hate, but rather in order to perform his duties and arrest a terrorist. “It could be that officer Adam Maloul was mistaken in hitting the Palestinian; it could be that he acted properly... [In any case] there was no violence for its own sake,” they wrote.
Besides criticizing the treatment of Maloul, particularly as compared to officers accused of violence against Jews, Maloul's friends criticized the IDF prosecution for sending soldiers the wrong message. “The message is clear: It's important to complete the mission, but first of all, keep in mind what the court will say. Even if that means conducting an operation with your hands in your pockets.”
Maloul should face trial in order to determine that violence was justified, the petition writers agreed. But until then, they said, he should not be punished in advance by being forced to spend months in jail or house arrest, but rather should be released until trial.
Commander Shows Support
Maloul's story began several months ago when two Palestinian Authority terrorists opened fire on Jewish homes in Samaria, wounding a small child. Maloul and his soldiers were sent to locate the terrorists, who were hiding among a larger group of Arab men.
As soldiers questioned the men to determine which of them were responsible for the shooting, Maloul allegedly struck a suspect twice. Maloul and other soldiers who were present say the blows were necessary in order to control the suspect and complete the operation, while the suspect and one soldier say the blows were unnecessary.
Maloul's commander, Colonel Itai Virov, expressed support for his action, telling an IDF court that “a slap, sometimes a blow to the back of the neck or chest, sometimes a knee or a chokehold in order to calm the person down are reasonable” while conducting an arrest.
For his testimony, Virov was given an official reprimand from Major-General Gadi Shamni, the head of Central Command. The reprimand is expected to hurt his career prospects in the military. Maloul's attorneys have expressed concern over the reprimand, worrying that other commanders will be deterred from testifying on Maloul's behalf following Shamni's intervention.
Both Shamni and Virov addressed soldiers from Kfir Battalion Tuesday, at an event marking the sixth anniversary of the battalion's establishment. Virov was cheered loudly, while Shamni's speech was received more coldly, and even elicited some some boos.
Friends Hope for 100,000 Signatures
The petition calling for Maloul's release until trial was created in early June, and has since been circulated via email and posted on the social networking website Facebook. The petition has gained almost 2,000 signatures.
Its creators hope to reach a total of at least 100,000 signatures.