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When a police officer is actually a soldier

Sunday morning, an 18-year-old Palestinian man stabbed a soldier in what is officially called “Border Police” in English at the Damascus Gate entrance to the Old City in occupied East Jerusalem, critically injuring him. The Border Police soldier then shot the Palestinian man. Both are in critical condition, and the soldier has regained consciousness after surgery.

Commonly referred to in Hebrew as “Magav,” Border Police does not function as a civilian police force. Magav operates throughout the West Bank as well as Israel, taking part in repressive military operations and extrajudicial assassinations. They work alongside Israeli soldiers and have similar responsibilities in attacks on Palestinian cities, villages and refugee camps. Magav originated as a colonial Frontier Corps in the Israeli military, tasked with patrolling Israel’s ever-changing borders, and was eventually put under the command of the Israeli National Police. For anyone who has witnessed these attacks, the difference between military and Magav is semantic.

Immediately, suburban Maryland native and Jewish Agency Spokesman Avi Mayer sent out a series of tweets, each one referring to the Magav soldier a “policeman.”

Avi Mayer
Avi Mayer

As I tweeted, hasbara (the Hebrew word for explaining, but means propaganda in practical terms) peddlers like Avi Mayer use the term “policeman” to conflate the role of Magav with that of a civilian police force, thereby erasing Magav’s as enforcers of Israel’s illegal occupation of East Jerusalem and the West Bank, and Gaza Strip prior to the 2005 disengagement.

Avi Mayer lashed out at my observation, accusing me of being a “Hamas approved propagandist,” as he has repeatedly done because of my journalism in the Gaza Strip.

Mayer accused me of attempting to conflate “soldier” with “policeman” in order to justify the attack.

By erasing the soldier’s role as an enforcer of occupation and casting him as a mere policeman, Mayer’s accusation was a sort of projection.

Mayer’s ploy was roundly criticized. Times of Israel writer Judah Ben Gross tweeted at Avi Mayer, “They wear uniforms, carry M-16s and are considered para-military. It’s not crazy for people to confuse the two.”

Border Police at wall, Bethlehem
Israeli Soldiers and Border Police stand in front of the Wall in Aida Camp. (Photo: Dan Cohen)

Ynetnews, the online version of Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel’s most widely-read publication, called the Border Policeman a “soldier” as well. Avi Mayer did not publicly accuse Ynetnews of being Hamas-approved propagandists.

Monday evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a public statement on the attack, saying, “On behalf of all Israelis, tell this fighter he is a great hero.” I informed Avi Mayer, but he has not responded.

While police forces continue to militarize – in part thanks to tactics and weaponry provided by Israel – police are not considered legitimate military targets under international law.

Israel’s conflation of military and civilian targets

The Israeli military, however, has a policy of treating civilian police force as military targets. The opening airstrikes in Operation Cast Lead in 2008/2009 killed 240 police officers, including many cadets as they took part in graduation ceremonies.

Last summer during Operation Protective Edge, Israel bombed the home of Gaza police chief Tayseer Al-Batsh, killing 18 and injuring 45, most of whom were family members. Numerous other police buildings were bombed as well.

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I don’t know why Mayer bothered, since he doesn’t believe Palestinians have a right to defend themselves under any circumstances.

He’s another one of those clueless, cowardly Zionists who would piss their pants if they had to confront a real member of the resistance.

I followed this interchange between you and Avi Mayer.

I’m glad that others are criticizing him. Those “border police” are military, and anyone who says otherwise is being deceitful.

“Photo-journalists shot by Israeli border police”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOE_gU_eDQg

“Video: Israeli border police brutally beat Palestinian youth (Update)” – See more at: http://mondoweiss.net/2014/07/israeli-brutally-palestinian#sthash.pM8FXd2t.dpuf

(only a teensy sampling, of course)

“Avi Mayer did not take kindly to my observation, accusing me of being a “Hamas approved propagandist,” as he has repeatedly done because of my journalism in the Gaza Strip.”

And you are a most amazing, talented, and honest journalist.

Thanks, Dan. This is a great article.

USA is trying to copy this model.

in the first intifada in Gaza, this “police” would arrest and beat the hell out of kids. They were vicious.

It was the Magavik Ben Deri who murdered the two Palestinian teens in Beituniya last year, setting off the cycle of violence that led to the murder of the 3 settler teens, Israel’s West Bank pogroms, the AbuKhdeir murder and the Gaza bloodbath. http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Border-policeman-indicted-for-manslaughter-of-Palestinian-teen-named-as-Ben-Deri-384587