B’Tselem Uncovers Brutal Treatment of 8 Year-Old Palestinian Cyclist

16 August 2016

Last month Anwar Burkan, an 8 year-old Palestinian girl living in Hebron, inadvertently rode her bicycle on a strip of road, which has been reserved for “Jews only” since January 2015. An Israeli border policeman punished her by running over the bicycle and then throwing it into the bushes

A volunteer with NIF grantee B’Tselem filmed the incident. B’Tselem’s video project, which documents and exposes the reality of day-to-day life in the West Bank, is helping to expose the broader Israeli public to the realities of the almost 50 year occupation.

Over the past decade, video documentation has become a central and powerful component of B’Tselem’s work. Footage of severe human rights violations filmed by project volunteers has been broadcast widely around Israel and abroad, and brought to the public’s attention incidents that might otherwise have been overlooked. The footage also provides vital evidence in complaints filed by B’Tselem with the authorities including the recent example of Sergeant Elor Azaria who is on trial for manslaughter after being filmed “neutralizing a terrorist.” The B’Tselem video, which appears to show that the injured Palestinian posed no threat, has become a controversial issue with the far right rallying in support of the soldier.

See the clip here