An ultra-Orthodox Israeli soldier who was convicted of abuse this week for beating and electrocuting Palestinian detainees will not be expelled from the army, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told Al Bawaba on Thursday.
The soldier, a member of a Haredi battalion known as Netzach Yehuda, "connected an electric appliance to Palestinian detainees, while bound and blindfolded, and proceeded to electrocute the detainees while a fellow soldier beat the detainees and filmed their actions," an IDF spokesperson who gave her name only as Shira told Al Bawaba.
The soldier, who was not named, was convicted on Tuesday of aggravated abuse and assistance to abuse and sentenced to 9 months in prison and three years probation, the spokesperson said, adding that he will be demoted to the rank of Private but not expelled from the army.
"The IDF condemns these actions and views them with great severity, [and] will continue to prosecute any such offenses in the future," she said.
Israeli soldier gets nine months for abusing, electrocuting Palestinians https://t.co/3js6Gbh07o pic.twitter.com/FDwpB8Tk4t
— Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) February 18, 2016
Last week, another ultra-Orthodox Israeli soldier from the same battalion was convicted of abusing and electrocuting Palestinian detainees, according to the Israeli media. That soldier, who was also not named, was sentenced to seven months in prison and also received a demotion, but apparently will also keep his job in the IDF upon release from prison.
The incidents in question took place in the northern West Bank in October, according to reports by Haaretz, The Times Of Israel and YNet News, and involved the beating and electrocution of at least two Palestinian detainees arrested on suspicion of "terror-related activities."
Israel-Palestine has been experiencing a wave of violence over the past four months that has seen at least 170 Palestinians and 30 Israelis killed. The uprising has been largely uncoordinated, characterized by lone-wolf attacks mostly carried out by West Bank Palestinians under the age of 23. It's been dubbed "the Stabbing Intifada" since most of the attacks on Israeli soldiers and civilians have been committed with knives.
