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| Yunes Abu Ermeileh |
An Israeli police officer was arrested, charged and convicted of assault related charges after hitting a 13-year-old boy according to court proceedings in Israel.
Now, the Jerusalem Magistrate Court handed down a sentence for the Border police officer convicted of attacking a Palestinian child in Hebron nearly four years ago. The officer was sentenced to 75 days in prison to be fulfilled by community service and a further four-month suspended sentence valid for four years. The police officer must also pay NIS 2,000 in damages to the boy he assaulted.
The police officer was convicted of assault in a plea bargain arrangement. In August 2009, while on duty near the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron, the police officer attacked 13-year-old Yunes Abu Ermeileh who, along with his brother, was selling sweets to passersby. The police officer demanded that Abu Ermeileh, who was proclaiming his wares loudly, stop shouting. As the boy did not comply, the police officer ran after him, flung his police helmet at him, knocked him to the ground and kicked him. The boy suffered trauma to his back and shoulder. Following a complaint, the Department for the Investigation of Police opened an inquiry into the incident, which led to the indictment and conviction of the police officer.
In her sentence, Justice Hannah Miriam Lomp wrote: "Any act of violence, and particularly one against a minor, a 13-year-old boy, perpetrated while the defendant is wearing a law enforcement uniform and is stationed in this role must be viewed with the greatest severity. Engaging in a personal argument, rather than enforcing the law, he chose an act of violence that resulted in bodily harm."
The police officer claimed that the boy was disturbing Jewish worshippers at the holy site. The boy was asked numerous times to quiet down and he refused, according to court proceedings.
"Police officers should not be discouraged from doing their job of protecting holy sites. However, if a police officer truly violates the law by assaulting an innocent child, appropriate action should be taken," Adam Bland, 44, a human rights activist in Sydney, Australia told YourJewishNews.com after learning about the sentence.