Israeli military charges 2 soldiers with beating Palestinian

JERUSALEM—Two Israeli soldiers have been charged with abusing a Palestinian man at a checkpoint, the military and a rights group said Tuesday.

The Israeli human rights group Yesh Din alleged the soldiers detained 20-year-old Palestinian Zayd Abu Sneineh at a checkpoint in the West Bank on Jan. 25. They handcuffed him, beat him and asked him to strip, releasing him after three hours, the group said.

An Israeli military statement said the two soldiers arrested by military police were charged with "abuse, assault, sabotage and inappropriate behavior."

"The indictment against the soldiers was submitted to a military court and they will be held under custody until the judicial procedures are due," the statement said.

Yesh Din said its lawyers helped Abu Sneineh file a complaint with the military in February. The group said only 10 percent of investigations of alleged infractions against Palestinians end in an indictment.

A military spokesman said this was a rare case.

"If you consider the amount of jobs the army has to do, the negative incidents are less than a thousandth of a percent," Maj. Oron Mincha said.

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