To watch video, click here
JERUSALEM // A video showing Palestinian women rescuing a small boy from an Israeli soldier at a West Bank protest has been viewed more than 2 million times on Facebook, shining a spotlight on Israeli military oppression in occupied territory.
In the video, the masked soldier holds the 12-year-old boy, his arm in a cast, in a chokehold in an attempt to arrest him.
The soldier is swarmed by the boy’s female relatives, including his mother and sister, who pull at his uniform and wrestle and slap him.
The boy’s sister, a 15-year-old in a blonde braid, then bites the soldier’s hand. Bystanders shout: “He is a little boy. His arm is broken.”
The soldier struggles with the boy, and then the crowd of women rip the mask off his face before a commanding officer arrives to assist him.
The soldier then frees himself and releases the boy, angrily throwing a small stun grenade at a group of people as he walks away.
The video was filmed and provided by Bilal Tamimi, a local activist and the boy’s relative.
Mr Tamimi said some Palestinians had hurled stones at the troops, but that he did not see the boy throw stones.
The incident took place on Friday at a weekly protest in the West Bank village of Nebi Saleh, where Israeli troops and Palestinian protesters often clash. A nearby Jewish settlement has restricted access to a water spring.
The Israeli military claimed on Sunday that a “violent riot” broke out at the protest and that it tried to detain the boy because he was hurling rocks. The military said the boy was released “to prevent an escalation of violence”, despite video evidence that the Palestinian women pulled him away from the soldier.
The video has sparked accusations from critics that Israel is too heavy-handed in its confrontations with Palestinian protesters, especially children.
* Associated Press
