Border Police court has ordered that an officer stand disciplinary trial for a brutal attack on a nationalist demonstrator last July. The police originally claimed they were the ones who were attacked, but authorities accepted a video as evidence that police officer Tal Yemini was the instigator. The victim was a youth at Mahaneh Horon, a community in Samaria, and the video shows Yemini shoving his fist in his nose and eyes although the boy did not display any aggressive behavior. Nevertheless, the police arrested the youth on charges of attacking a policeman, The following day, a Kfar Saba judge viewed the video of the incident and released the youth, concluding that the youth’s actions did not justify the attack. The victim complained to the police, with the help of the civil rights organization of Judea and Samaria, and the disciplinary court ruled that Yemini’s violence was not justified. The civil rights group may bring criminal charges against the police officer. Nationalists welcomed the ruling and demanded that Yemini be prohibited from serving in Judea and Samaria, arguing that the Border Police officer is known for violence against Jewish residents. Yemini was also involved in the forced removal of National Union Knesset Member Dr. Michael Ben-Ari in a confrontation several months ago. Spokesmen for the human rights organization also charged that Border Police discriminate against Jews by arresting them often without evidence, while routinely releasing Arabs immediately after arrest.
