Israeli officer demoted after video shows him brutalizing Danish tourist

IDF Terrorist hits Andreas Ias

by Saed Bannoura

 After a video was publicized on the internet and other media showing a senior Israeli military officer severely beating a Danish tourist on a bike tour of the West Bank, Israeli officials launched a public relations campaign that culminated in the temporary demotion of the officer in question.

 Lieutenant-Colonel Shalom Eisner, who had previously been thought to be the next in line for a Cabinet position, was shown in the video beating a Danish bicyclist, Andreas Ias, with a rifle butt on Saturday near Jericho.

Two other international visitors and one Palestinian were also injured by Eisner as he assaulted the bike tour. According to Ias, “Israeli soldiers blocked the road for all of the cyclists and quickly resorted to violent force to intimidate us from cycling on Route 90. Lt-Col Eisner beat me with his M-16 without provocation.”

The bike tour consisted of around two hundred cyclists, both international tourists and Palestinians, biking through the Jordan Valley near Jericho on an Israeli road that connects illegal Israeli settlements constructed on stolen Palestinian land. It was an alternative tourism event meant to draw attention to the illegal seizure of Palestinian land in the Jordan Valley, and the restrictions on the freedom of movement of Palestinians.

In a statement on Israeli TV Channel 10 on Tuesday, Eisner said that he did not regret his actions, that he acted within military guidelines, and credited his beating of the bicyclist with putting an end to what he called a 'demonstration' by the group of bicyclists on tour in the West Bank. He did, however, say that he regretted the fact that cameras were present to film him beating the cyclist, saying, “It could have been a professional mistake to use a weapon in front of the cameras.”

One Israeli analyst, Eitan Haber with Yedioth Ahranoth, wrote that the real problem is not the action itself, but the image it shows of Israel to the outside world. He warned that Israeli officials have to work harder to preserve a positive image of Israel in the world's media in the wake of such incidents.

Although the attack on the tourist was not unusual, it was one of a very few such incidents that are actually captured on camera and seen around the world. Due to the publicity, Israeli officials say they felt compelled to act in this case.

The officer in question will be temporarily demoted for 2 years, but will continue to serve in the military and will continue to be deployed in the West Bank with full access to weaponry and the authority to use it.

Organizers of the bike tour say that Ias and the other injured cyclists plan to take legal action against the Israeli military for the incident.

 Source