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Images of the soldier attempting to detain a Palestinian minor during clashes in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh went viral over the past weekend.

Israeli teacher who attended anti-settlements protest where viral video filmed faces calls for his dismissal

The father of an Israeli soldier who was attacked by Palestinian women and a young girl while trying to arrest a child said Sunday that he was proud of his son’s restraint during the incident.

Images of the soldier attempting to detain a Palestinian minor during clashes in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh went viral over the weekend.

According to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) “the youth in the picture was seen throwing rocks, and as such a decision was made to arrest him. During the arrest, a violent provocation began which included a number of Palestinian women and children.”

The child’s family accused the soldier, who was injured during the incident, of using too much force.

The soldier’s father told Army Radio that his son in fact prevented further casualties. “We are very proud of what we saw, proud of the restraint that he demonstrated, because without a doubt if [the] women had been injured, it would have ended very differently,” the soldier’s father said.

The IDF meanwhile stressed that the soldiers were not aware that he was a minor and that “as a result of the violent clash, a decision was made by the regional commander to cease the arrest.”

“Two additional Palestinian youths were arrested for throwing stones during the violent clashes. The soldier pictured was lightly wounded as a result of the violent actions against him,” the statement added.

For years, Nabi Saleh has been the site of weekly Friday demonstrations against Israel’s military presence in the West Bank.

Right to resist

The father of the boy at the center of the viral video defended his child’s involvement in demonstrations in Nabi Saleh.

“We have the right to resist. Our children are doing their duty and must be strong,” Bassem Tamimi told The Jerusalem Post,

According to the Post, Tamimi said that his family are not against the soldiers, but against the purported “occupation”.

“There is no safe place to be,” he told the Post. “Because a lot of time they target houses, and there is fire on the houses.”

Culture Minister Miri Regev responded to the incident by calling on Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon to change the protocols regarding opening fire. She claimed that the current rules are “shameful.”

IDF soldiers serving in the West Bank were issued with instructions earlier this month not to shoot at Palestinian suspects if they do not pose an immediate threat to life.

“Anyone who tries to harm Israeli citizens and Israel Defense Forces soldiers needs to know that he has forfeited his life. We need to establish immediately that a soldier who is attacked is authorized to respond with fire — period,” Regev said, according to Channel 2.

Meanwhile, a teacher from the central Israeli city of Ramat Gan was facing calls for his dismissal after he was allegedly seen in the viral video of the scuffle between the soldier and the Palestinian family.

Ramat Gan Mayor Yisrael Zinger said there was “no place for a person who attacked Israel Defense Forces soldiers in the education of our city’s children.”

Zinger insisted that the teacher, Herzl Schubert, be summoned for a hearing before school starts on Monday.

“Ramat Gan’s education system sees great importance in maintaining the political neutrality of its teachers, in order to allow pluralism and real discourse among students, educating them to accept different opinions, and showing patience and tolerance toward any opinion,” Zinger said.

(i24 News)

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