It is being reported that a number of Druse travelers who requested to set up tents alongside the perimeter fence of the IDF Navy Commando base in Atlit were assaulted by soldiers assigned to guard the base. One of the injured, a border policeman, Sgt. Raad Zaiden, 24, told authorities one of the soldiers shouted “you’re an Arab and you must die”.

The area of the base is considered one of the more attractive resort areas in Israel. One of the police investigators involved, Superintendent Yisrael Tuvia, explains the two families, both from Bet Jon, just wanted to set up tents near the base’s fence as they have been doing in previous years.

According to police, the soldiers told the visitors they may not station themselves near the base because it is a closed military zone, cursing them and shouting racist epithets at them. Family members explained that they have been camping at the very same location for years, without problems. “One family member is a border policeman. Why must you speak to us this way?” they questioned.

The victims explained that a number of hours after they took up position outside the camp, the soldiers began throwing rocks at them and began shouting “Arabs get out.” The border policeman’s father added six of the soldiers then came, held him down and began beating his son, Raad. He was listed in light-to-moderate condition in Haifa’s Rambam Medical Center where he was admitted after the attack and released on Saturday afternoon.

Police arrested seven soldiers believed involved in the violent assault. Police are working with military police on the investigation.

Raad’s father said, “I am a veteran officer in the police and this incident is a blemish for us all. My son serves along the Jerusalem perimeter and is an excellent soldier. How did we get to a situation in which three naval commandos attack him?”

The Office of the IDF Spokesman released a benign statement confirming an investigation is underway. In a statement released before the weekend, authorities stated none of the naval commandos were involved in the attack but Raad’s father seems to contradict this statement.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)