Two video clips that were recently disseminated by human rights organizations strengthen Palestinian claims that the Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) presence in the West Bank is larger than in the past. Unfortunately, the videos also show that friction between the soldiers and the Palestinian population has escalated and become more violent.
In a video taken by security cameras in the Jericho area and disseminated by B’Tselem on Feb. 22, four soldiers are seen beating a Palestinian youth, Yasin al-Saradih, who tried to attack them. They shoot him at close range, then drag him into an alleyway. Palestinian voices can be heard as onlookers watch what was happening from the store windows, saying, “They are killing him.” His family and B'Tselem claim that for several long minutes, the soldiers prevented Saradih from receiving medical treatment that could have saved his life.