03 September 2015

Image of Israeli Soldier and Palestinian Boy is Trending

Israeli Soldier and Boy
Last 28 August, altercation occurred during a protest organized by Palestinian activists against settlement in the West Bank. The event would have not made any international attention if not for an image of an armed Israeli soldier trying to arrest an 11-year-old Palestinian boy with a broken arm.

The images that went viral on social media showed the soldier putting a headlock on the child while women pull on the soldier's back, trying to free the boy.

According to CNN, the footage was shot by the boy's father, Bassem Tamimi. And his family routinely films its demonstrations and posts them on a site called Nabi Saleh Solidarity.

The video - a clip edited from longer footage - had nearly 3 million views by 30 August.

"This is very difficult for any father or mother to see their son or daughter in that way, being violently attacked," said Tamimi.

In the video, Bassem Tamimi's daughter, A'hed, is seen biting the soldier's right hand in an apparent attempt to free her brother.

A'hed has appeared in previous videos the family has shot and posted online. Two years ago a video was posted that showed her shaking her fist at an Israeli soldier. The soldier reacted by walking away.

Tamimi said he documents all of the protests to keep a record of the conflict there and collect what he says is evidence of Israeli abuses.

At first glance, it appeared that Tamimi's family is the one at the disadvantage. However, one cannot get rid of this feeling that everything was staged to make it appear that the Israeli soldier was the abuser.

For one, why was the father keep on filming the incident instead of helping out? Also, with their activist background, it is not far from reality that the boy is also active in the protest and could be guilty of something that prompted the soldier to try to detain him.

It is better not to judge the incident on one video alone, but to examine all sides of the conflict so as not to get dragged and emotionally involved.

The real victim here is the boy. He could have been used by his father to further their extremism or had to endure an abusive authority just because he was in the wrong place and with the wring family.