[VIDEO IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]

Israel Police Chief Yochanan Danino announced this week that the policeman caught on video beating a uniformed IDF soldier has been suspended and he will be dismissed from the force following a department hearing. Danino, who has been committed to weeding out corruption in his department stated “there is no room for officers like this in the department”.

The soldier is a member of Israel’s Ethiopian community and community leaders lament what they call police brutality against members of the community of a regular basis. It is pointed out that the Ethiopian community in Israel has protested against police brutality on numerous occasions. Community officials tell the media that too often when police arrest a member of the community, too often they do not hesitate to use unjustifiable force.

Danino stressed the department has rules and the behavior seen on the video is unacceptable and will not be tolerated at any level, acknowledging the damage to the department’s image by the video.

The incident captured on video took place in the city of Holon, in the Jesse Cohen neighborhood. The soldier was heading home but the street was closed due to a suspicious object. The soldier was not permitted to pass. The soldier explained he requested to permit him to continue home at which time, as seen in the video, he was assaulted without provocation and beaten without mercy. He was then arrested and brought in. according to the officer, he was being charged with assaulting a policeman.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)