Video Shows Israeli Border Police Officers Beating Arab Journalist in Jerusalem
Video emerged on Friday of Israeli Border Police officers violently beating an Arab photojournalist in East Jerusalem as he covered Friday prayers.
Haaretz’s Nir Hasson covered the incident and posted the jarring clip to social media on Friday, in which Mustafa Al-Haruf can be seen being hit in the back of the head with the butt of the officer’s gun. The police officer then walks away before eventually returning with more officers and two of them kick him after pushing him to the ground.
https://twitter.com/nirhasson/status/1735628086102671416
Al-Haruf is a veteran photojournalist, currently working for the Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency.
“Al-Haruf, along with several other press photographers, had just finished documenting a prayer in the Wadi Joz neighborhood when an Israeli Border Police officer asked him and another photographer, Faiz Abu Ramila, to leave the site,” reported Hasson, who covers Jerusalem for the Israeli paper.
“We started walking, and then a police officer told us not to pass there. We tried to explain that [another] officer asked us to go through there, but he just started kicking us,” Haaretz quoted the photographer recalling the incident. Hasson’s reporting adds that Al-Haruf was then detained, before the extent of his injuries became clear:
According to witnesses, Al-Haruf was handcuffed and threatened to be placed under arrest. Only after one of the officers noticed his physical condition was he released. Al-Haruf was transferred to Al-Makassed Hospital in East Jerusalem, where he was treated for deep cuts to his head and face.
The Israeli police quickly suspended the offices in the video, which was reportedly broadcast live on Turkish television.
“Recognizing the gravity of the situation, the Border Police Commander has immediately suspended the officers involved. This decision underscores our commitment to accountability and maintaining the highest professional standards within our ranks,” the Border Police wrote on X, adding:
An investigation has been opened by the Police Internal Investigations Division to thoroughly examine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
As the Israel-Hamas war continues, tensions in both the West Bank and Jerusalem have continued to rise and the Israeli military presence has increased.
