The Israeli military said Wednesday that it had suspended four of its soldiers who were filmed beating unarmed Palestinians in the West Bank. Video released on social media showed the four soldiers, from the ultra-Orthodox Netzah Yehuda Battalion, kicking and hitting two Palestinian men outside the Israeli West Bank settlement of Talmon, some 8 kilometers northwest of Ramallah, last week. One soldier in the video points his rifle at one of the men. According to a statement issued by the army, an initial investigation showed that the incident happened when the soldiers stopped a “suspicious” vehicle. “The soldiers acted in a violent manner toward the Palestinians and applied force against them without reason,” the statement said. The soldiers will no longer serve in the battalion or in any combat position, and the military police will investigate further and present its findings to the Military Advocate General. “This is a severe incident that is repugnant and directly contradicts the values of the Israel Defense Forces,” said Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, the military’s chief of staff. “The soldiers involved in the incident are not worthy of their positions,” he said, adding that the army “will bring justice to those involved.”
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