An attack dog released on unarmed Palestinians by Israeli security forces sank its teeth into the arm of a Palestinian man and refused to release it for several minutes.
Soldiers released an attack dog on unarmed Palestinians at a Friday anti-occupation demonstration in the West Bank village of Kufr Qaddoum, report eyewitnesses that include an AP photographer. According to a report from Jonathan Pollack, a political activist, Border Police officers released an army dog at a group of protesters who were standing several dozen meters away. The dog chased the protesters, then locked his jaw on the arm of one of them – Ahmad Shtawi – sinking his teeth into the man’s arm. The dog refused for several minutes to respond to his handler’s order to release Mr. Shtawi’s arm.
IDF attack dog refuses to release his grip on Ahmad Shtawi's arm (photo: PSCC)
Although he was bleeding, in pain and in need of medical attention, soldiers decided to arrest Mr. Shtawi after the dog finally released his arm. When Morad Shtawi, a member of the village’s popular committee, tried to reason with the commanding officer and convince him to release the wounded man, he was thrown to the ground, handcuffed and pepper sprayed – as documented in the video below.
Israeli human rights NGO B’Tselem has called several times for the Israeli army to stop using attack dogs on unarmed Palestinians. In February 2012, a 19 year-old Palestinian was attacked by an IDF dog; B’Tselem reported another five such incidents in 2011.
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Trevor
The video reminds me of how the Nazis would treat the Jews. With the German shepherds and unarmed Jews beaten up solely for being Jews. How can this be happening in Israel today?
aristeides
I’m reminded of the civil rights marches in the American south. Water cannon, police attack dogs, cops with clubs beating on the protesters. Then, it resulted in outrage. Now, no one sees, no one cares.
Palestinian
It reminds me of Israel
Ruth
It reminds me that in Toronto where Lisa curently resides, you will be shot dead if you shoved a cop during an altercation. This video is a joke.
Lisa Goldman
Ruth – in Toronto where I now live, as I state in my biography above, in the very rare case a police officer shoots an unarmed protesters there is an investigation and the police officer is severely punished. There is also wide media coverage and public awareness. In Israel where you do not live, but where I did live for 14 years of my life, soldiers who shoot and kill unarmed protesters are not punished, and most of the public does not care. The man in the video did nothing but stand unarmed in his own village when a vicious attack dog sank its teeth into his arm and refused to release it for 10 minutes. The man now has a broken arm. If you think that is a joke, then you should seek some help for your inability to feel human compassion.
Holden
Unarmed peace activist? Were they by any chance throwing rocks or firebombs, which happen to be deadly weapons. The IDF almost never uses force like that unless attacked.
Lisa Goldman
Holden – Clearly, you have never been at a demonstration in the West Bank.
Yosi
Context from haaretz The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said in response to the incident: “During a violent and illegal disturbance in the village of Kedum, next to the settlement of Kedumim, west of Nablus, around 100 Palestinians gathered, rolled burning tires, and threw stones at security forces, who responded with riot dispersal means. One Palestinian was arrested for physically attacking forces at the location. Another Palestinian who was arrested was bit by a dog belonging to the forces during his arrest. He was treated at the scene by a military doctor and did not require evacuation.”
Lisa Goldman
Yes, well, as we have shown several times at +972, and as I have experienced on even more occasions, the IDF spokesperson lies pretty much all the time.
Yosi
Lisa, looking at the video the soldiers appeared to be behaving with restraint.
questions: If demonstrators are asked to disperse and they do not disperse should soldiers just throw rocks back, roll burning tyres back and then give up- in the US Clooney is arrested for protesting peacefully- what would happen if he resisted arrest? why do you automatically believe the protesters account and dismiss Israeli account – do Israelis always lie and Palestinians always tell the truth?
Steve
I trust the IDF spokesperson more than I trust anti-Israel agenda writers whose entire piece of evidence is one photo that could be completely out of context.
Steve
If this was Syria, all the protesters would be dead, including the person videorecording this.
…
But since it’s Israel, the person videorecording it can simply walk right over to the soldiers and not be harmed.
.
We also have no idea what that person was doing prior to the video.
.
Obviously barely anyone is being harmed here. People are mostly standing around. So one dog got loose and refused to let go for a bit. Big deal.
Steve
TREVOR said: “The video reminds me of how the Nazis would treat the Jews.”
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What a repulsive, idiotic f*cking comment. The nazis treated the Jews by murdering 6+ million of them, not by one dog getting free for a minute while soldiers tried to pull the dog off.
Philos
“If this was Syria they’d all be dead”; fantastic. I love it when foreigners compare my country to brutal dictatorships and call me a traitor when I want Israel to live up to better standards.
essam shreteh
i was there , that person was just protesting peacefully , till the criminal israeli solder release the dog towards him .
rose
It seems that Ruth forgot to mention – among other things – that the West Bank is, contrary to Toronto, an occupied territory
Sherri Munnerlyn
I find it interesting how we see Israelis’ use of dogs against a fellow human being brings into the light for all to see, Israel’s lack of humanity towards Palestinians. And,the irony of this act,in the end the only ones standing there who look human are the Palestinians the dog was set upon. Occupation turns Occupiers into dogs.
melodie
Why Bibi’s pushing so hard and provokes Iranian daily? hmm
Piotr Berman
Ruth: in the age of Google you can try to find a link to an incident of Toronto police person shooting down an unarmed person resisting arrest or “shoving a policemen”.
As we know, right wing Jews can get away with pelting IDF personnel with stones and IDF turns the second cheek.
On the positive side, it seems that Israeli government decided to wage the war on Iran figuratively rather than actually. Netanyahu announced that Gaza is Iran, and the figurative Iranians were quite actually killed. Now, rather than unleashing “dogs of war”, IDF unleashes actual dogs.
I suspect a similar motivation in the decision to use rubber bullets again. The pictures of bleeding protesters can satisfy the fearful population that the government is working hard to protect them from lefto-islamic hordes.
Yossi Gurvitz
Steve, kindly move to Syria. Obviously that’s the regime you’d rather live under. You’re not wanted in Israel. We’re trying to keep it something of a democracy, and your presence is a hindrance.
Jogortha
The usual defensive reactions whenever Israeli soldiers are caught misbehaving: “look at syria”, “in Canada and America they guy would have been shot.” bla bla bla.. About time somebody stepped up to tell these folks that they’re no better than the rest of the world. Being the only Jewish state on the planet is not license to behave brutally.
sh
Steve, your comments do nothing to advance your argument, which presumably is that this was another of those mishaps that are the exception not the rule.
.
The rule is skunk, tear gas, rubber bullets from afar and physical violence from close up, the dog was just an exception, right? Well, no. Overlooking Kafr Qaddum is the constantly spreading settlement of Kedumim. Down the road is the Tapuach junction. On to Tapuach where they train the kind of dog you saw in the above video that you call a photo.
.
You will note from this link
http://www.demotix.com/news/812163/israeli-settlers-train-attack-dogs-against-palestinian-militants
that Yekutiel Guzofsky, the authority at the dog-training center at Tapuach, was once a right hand man of Meir Kahane. One of their hounds is an inseparable companion to Yaakov Fauci, who squats part of the Al-Kurd’s home in Sheikh Jarrah.
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The Nazis did train dogs like this to set on the defenseless. It’s well-known. (Scroll about half-way down this page to see photo and read it in its entirety if you want confirmation: http://www.holocaustresearchproject.org/trials/goeth3.html
.
Grow up and learn to use your eyes, Steve.
Aaron
I don’t even understand why it would be standard operating procedure to have an attack dog in the first place. It is hard to see how it would be effective for population control.
On the other hand, I don’t know if I’d trust someone who is a member of a “popular committee,” sounds likes shades of the Minister of Propaganda. And by “reason” you mean shove and get in the soldiers face. I imagine if someone did that to a police officer in any American city they would get similar treatment.
aristeides
Guys – Steve isn’t here to achieve enlightenment and information. He’s a troll, he’s here to disrupt.
Seriously
>Guys – Steve isn’t here to achieve enlightenment and information. He’s a troll, he’s here to disrupt.
So much ignorance in one webpage.
Ruth
@Lisa,
Guess what? I live in Toronto and have also lived and studied in Israel. SO? What does it prove? As for showing compassion, yours only flows one way.Did you ever show compassion towards the downtrodden Israelis of the develoment towns? In your 14 years, you spent at last 12 of them in cafes in the bubble. Let’s face it, you have switched sides. Compassion or the cool thing to do? Only you know. I followed your blog when you were posting “whimsical” observations about a Canadian in Israel, so please stop the lecturing.
As for the “unarmed” protesters, how would you know? You live in Toronto.
Steve
OK so is every single attack dog in the world who attacks a protester “nazi-like?”
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Or is that only true if it’s an Israeli attack dog?
Steve
Hamas want Gaza “Jew-free.” That’s more nazi-like than one attack dog grabbing a guy’s arm for a minute.
sh
“OK so is every single attack dog in the world who attacks a protester “nazi-like?””
To me? Yes.
.
I always find it very funny how people like Steve always see themselves as Hamas spokesmen, Fatah spokesmen, Hezbollah spokesmen, Khamenei’s spokesmen. So ignorant about so many things that happen right under their noses and so brilliantly insightful about what’s beyond our borders.
directrob
Steve, I do not know what makes you tick but if you are serious about defending Israel against 972mag better read this.
.
“…Indeed, if the heart of your communications is a chorus of finger pointing of “Israel is right, they are wrong” then you will lose more support for Israel than you will gain. Some people who ALREADY support Israel may nod their heads and say “way to go,” but people who are not already supportive of Israel will be turned off…”.
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http://www.australiansforpalestine.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/tip_report.pdf
Steve
TREVOR said” The video reminds me of how the Nazis would treat the Jews.”
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My response: Again, this disgusting comment should sicken you. That video is NOT how nazis treated the Jews. If that video was how nazis treated Jews, we’d have never seen the video, because everyone in the video would have been dead. Trevor’s comment is EXAGGERATED, DISHONEST and OFFENSIVE.
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Criticize Israel in rational fashion.
zayzafuna
I applaud Lisa Goldmanns courage for finally abandoning the zionist dream and returning home. I wish millions of others would follow her path. That would lead to peace
Steve
Comment deleted for ad hominem attack
Lisa Goldman
Zayzafuna – I left Israel in order to care for my mother, who was dying of cancer, and stayed in Toronto after her death for deeply personal reasons. The next time you leave a similar comment pretending to understand my motives, I will delete it.
Sherri Munnerlyn
@Ruth I fail to see what downtrodden Israelis of development towns have to do with justifying the use of attack dogs on nonviolent Palestinian protestors. But I found this interesting article about downtrodden Israeli youth and their changing role within society. They seem to recently be finding they have more in common with Palestinians then with their fellow Jewish residents.
http://www.pij.org/details.php?id=235
Greg Pollock
Lisa,
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One of the terrors of this ever conflict is that people cease to exist. Everything happens for a great political reason. So you leave Israel–be silent, we’ll tell you why. Yet you still care and try.
.
Steve, you’ve picked the wrong thread to comment upon. Justifying a dog attack? Just look at the terain; it is hardly there for crowd control. It’s there solely to induce fear. And when someone can’t believe the dog won’t let go, and tries to help–he’s sprayed. How many deadly protestors where nearby? Those two, so far as the clip shows.
.
You are destroying yourselves, and we will keep reminding you of that.
manny
Comment deleted by moderator.
binn novotny
why theres no mention of this abuse and similar incidents on the world media? why usa is hiding things like this? when will world ceased to financically ‘feed’ israels military? in australias the same. jewish elite abuse but the medias silent.
ps
i dont expect that you’ll publish this comment
sam
Why all the complaints?
If the Israelis shoot sbullets, steel or rubber, they are Nazis.
So they send a dog to pin down someone.
What the world expects from us is not to do anything and then we will become the victims and the gentiles will once again be happy.