FILE PHOTO: An Israeli soldier shouts during clashes with Palestinians at a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in the West Bank city of Hebron © Mussa Qawasma / Reuters
The unit from the Givati brigade was deployed to to Hebron and patrolled an area near the Palestinian city’s market on Saturday, when the act of petty theft took place, according to Haaretz. The soldiers had been ordered to deal with any disturbance in the wake of Washington’s recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.
The unidentified squad commander seized an opportunity to take three apples from an abandoned vendor stall and share them with his subordinates. He probably didn’t expect that anyone outside of the squad would notice, but the episode was not only witnessed but also filmed by a group of Palestinians hiding in a building nearby. The video was published online and quickly went viral.
Stop Thieves! Israeli occupation troops terrorize and chase off Palestinian civilians– to steal fruits from a street vendors! pic.twitter.com/XqHlyhk2L2
— Palestine Info Center (@palinfoen) December 9, 2017
The IDF responded by suspending the man from his position until a full investigation is conducted. A spokesman for the military said the thief was facing disciplinary action. The IDF also made a statement on its Twitter account, saying it “does not condone this behavior”. The responses to the tweet, some of which are in broken but intelligible English, are probably not what the Israeli command would like to see.
