Ben-Gvir stresses 'full support' for IDF soldier who beat Palestinian activist in Hebron

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir stressed that he "fully supports" the IDF soldier who grabbed Palestinian activist Issa Amro by the neck, threw him to the ground and kicked him in the side on Monday.

"Disgrace! The anarchist Issa Amro who frequently bothers the IDF soldiers in Hebron from doing their job, is doing it again, only this time it was with a camera crew of an American media organization. I support with all my might the soldier who did not keep silent. Soldiers should receive backing, not prison," tweeted Ben-Gvir.

בושה וחרפה! האנרכיסט עיסא עמרו שמציק באופן תדיר לחיילי צה"ל בחברון לעשות את העבודה, עושה זאת שוב, רק שהפעם זה היה עם צוות צילום של גוף תקשורת אמריקאי. אני מגבה בכל הכח את החייל שלא שתק. חיילים צריכים לקבל גב, לא כלא. pic.twitter.com/QFflzdjnf0

— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) February 14, 2023

On Monday, footage was published showing Amro being beaten by an IDF soldier in Hebron while he was with The New Yorker journalist Lawrence Wright and photographer Barbara Debeuckelaere.

After the incident, the IDF stated that an investigation conducted by commanders found that a "violent confrontation developed between a Palestinian and an IDF soldier in Hebron, during which the soldier beat the Palestinian."

The soldier was sentenced to ten days in prison. At the end of the ten days, a decision will be made concerning the continuation of his service in the IDF. "The IDF takes a serious view of any violent behavior and condemns it."

"I never had a source assaulted in front of me until today when an Israeli soldier who stopped my interview did this with a Palestinian peace activist Issa Amro in Hebron," tweeted Wright. "I can't stop thinking how dehumanizing the occupation is on the young soldiers charged with enforcing it."

I never had a source assaulted in front of me until today when an Israeli soldier who stopped my interview did this with a Palestinian peace activist Issa Amro in Hebron. I can't stop thinking how dehumanizing the occupation is on the young soldiers charged with enforcing it. pic.twitter.com/Qrsa1UJsfA

— Lawrence Wright (@lawrence_wright) February 13, 2023

Wright stressed that "The IDF is misrepresenting what led to assault on peace activist Issa Amro in Hebron yesterday. The soldier initiated the encounter. Amro did not curse or interfere only asked that he call the commander. Nothing to justify the attack that followed."

Further footage was published on Tuesday showing the events leading up to the assault, although the moments right before the assault are not captured in the footage.

In the footage published on Tuesday, Amro can be seen asking the soldier to call his commander. In the video, Amro tells the soldier that he was just bringing the two journalists to his house when the soldier stopped them.

Debeuckelaere can be heard in the video assuring the soldier that she had deleted footage she had taken earlier. In the footage, the soldier repeatedly orders them to delete the videos they're taking and to stop filming.

IDF soldiers and left-wing civilians

In November, five IDF soldiers were suspended after a left-wing activist was beaten by two soldiers in Hebron during a visit expressing outrage about riots in the city the weekend before. The activist was reportedly arrested after the incident.

Video from that incident shows the activist being pulled aside by the soldiers into a bus station. As he was being placed in the station, a woman pushed one of the soldiers. As the two soldiers then confronted the woman, the previously detained activist began walking away from the station. As he was walking away, one of the soldiers grabbed him in a choke hold from behind before throwing him to the floor and punching him in the face.

In another video from the visit, a soldier told activists that “[Otzma Yehudit head Itamar] Ben-Gvir will make order here. You’ve lost it. All you do here is finished, the whole brothel you make here.”

When the activist asked if he was doing anything against the law, the soldier responded “you do everything against the law. I decide what the law is and you are acting against the law.”

Another video from Hebron on Friday showed a soldier pushing an Israeli journalist and shouting “I don’t like leftists. Get out of here. I’ll mess you up.” Amro was at the scene then as well.

After that incident, Ben-Gvir stated "I know the far-Left people who go to Hebron well. They bully soldiers, humiliate them, curse them and often, they attack them. I’m calling on the police to check if in this case, the far-Left people provoked the soldiers and harmed them first.”