Amona
AmonaEliran Aharon

An Amona resident sued Israel Police for violence during the expulsion of Amona residents from their homes in February.

The resident, Amichai Katz, claimed he was attacked by a police chief during the expulsion, who held the resident's private parts in a painful and inappropriate fashion.

Katz and his family lived in Amona for seven years, and are suing Israel Police for 70,000 NIS.

"Harming a person in this way, when he is already being expelled from his home, is harsh, inappropriate, dangerous, and unnecessary, and adds to the harm inherent in the very act of expulsion," wrote Honenu attorney Haim Bleicher. "The plaintiff has lived in Amona for over seven years - the entire duration of his marriage."

According to the suit, when police officers began to arrive in Amona, they were met with protesters who blocked their path. The officers then began to act violently in efforts to move the protesters.

At that point, Katz left his house to see what was going on, and stumbled across a group of policemen who who were fighting with a group of protesters. The policemen were yanking minor boys aside, and beating them violently.

Katz then turned to the policemen and asked them to leave the teenagers alone and to stop beating them.

In response, the police chief gave him a warning glare. Katz walked away, but a few minutes later found himself attacked by policemen. Two of the officers grabbed his arms and others grabbed his legs, bringing him into the group of policemen.

The police chief who had glared at him earlier then approached and grabbed Katz's private parts in an effort to cause him pain and harm him. Katz screamed at the police chief and told him to let go, but only after a few long seconds of strongly and forcefully gripping him did the chief release his hold.

The entire scene was recorded by Channel 2's cameras.

"The police abused their authority and caused the plaintiff emotional and bodily harm," Bleicher wrote in the suit. "There was no justification for this, and it was completely unnecessary to policemen's mission. The plaintiff was held by a number of policemen, and there is no justification in any case, and certainly not in this case, for holding a person's private parts and pressing on them strongly in a painful fashion which may cause lifelong damage."

"The plaintiff experienced enormous pain and severe harm was done to his rights. Even when the physical pain passes, such an experience will leave a deep scar, harming the victim's emotional health and leaving him with trauma for the rest of his life.

"In addition to the physical harm, there is also an issue of sexual assault.

"There is no reason a police officer should have done such a thing, and it is not part of his job to do so.

"The plaintiff was expelled from his home, after living there for seven years and raising his family there. The very expulsion is a traumatic event for the plaintiff, and the defendant should have shown empathy during the expulsion. Instead, the defendant acted in the exact opposite fashion.

"Assaulting the plaintiff under the given circumstances should cause be considered as twice or three times as severe as under normal circumstances."