The Justice Ministry’s Police Investigation Department (PID) filed an indictment under a plea arrangement against Border Police squad commander Eyal Haimov, accusing him of beating a Palestinian resident of the West Bank at a Jerusalem-area checkpoint and leaving him with a broken hand and bleeding.
Haimov was charged on Tuesday in the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court with assault causing actual bodily harm, threats, and unlawful access to computer material.
The charge sheet does not detail the terms of the plea arrangement. The prosecution separately notified the court that it may seek a prison sentence if Haimov is convicted.
According to the indictment, the incident took place shortly after 3 a.m. on June 11, 2024, at the Container Checkpoint, which sits within the West Bank and connects the eastern part of Bethlehem to the more northern town of Abu Dis.
A black Cadillac carrying Bara’a Issa and seven other passengers arrived at the checkpoint, where Border Police officers collected the passengers’ identity cards, mobile phones, and access codes, the indictment said.
After officers found a photograph of a weapon on Issa’s phone, they showed it to Haimov and another officer. The indictment alleges that the officers then searched through the phones for prohibited material.
Haimov later approached the vehicle with Issa’s phone and asked who owned it.
After Issa identified himself as its owner, Haimov allegedly removed him from the car, ordered him to keep his hands on his head, and took him behind the checkpoint’s detention cell while holding the back of his neck.
Israeli police officer charged with assaulting Palestinian
The indictment alleges that Haimov then pinned Issa against a wall and struck him repeatedly in the chest and stomach as he cried out in pain.
Haimov then allegedly picked up an improvised club from the ground and struck Issa’s limbs, causing a fracture to his left hand and bleeding.
After seeing that Issa was bleeding, Haimov allegedly returned with a cup of water, ordered him to lift his shirt and hold it in his teeth, poured the water over him, and wiped his face with the shirt.
The officer then allegedly returned Issa to the Cadillac and pushed him inside.
Haimov is also accused of threatening another officer who witnessed the incident, placing a finger over his mouth and telling him, “Don’t you dare tell anyone about this,” according to the indictment.
