Israeli army hands probation sentences to soldiers caught beating Palestinian

Israel's military on Sunday tried and handed light probation sentences to soldiers caught on video beating and insulting an unarmed Palestinian man in a West Bank refugee camp.

In the footage, which was widely circulated on social media networks over the weekend, soldiers were seen repeatedly beating Shadi al-Ghabbashy, a resident of the refugee camp of Jalazoun near Ramallah, striking his head with a rifle butt, and wrestling him to the ground.

The soldiers, from the ultra-Orthodox brigade of Netzah Yehuda, were tried at a disciplinary court after the army launched an "in-depth investigation" into the case Saturday, according to a statement by a military spokesperson.

The company commander was reprimanded, and two additional soldiers were found to have used "excessive force" and were handed a suspended sentence of 28 days.

The soldier that shouted insults at al-Ghabbashy was sentenced to a 30-day confinement to his base, in other words he will not be allowed to go on vacation for an entire month.

A military statement said the incident occurred after protesters "rioted" during a rally in the refugee camp. After al-Ghabbashy "ignored calls by soldiers to stop, and grabbed a weapon of one of the commanders, the commanders decided to use force to arrest him," the army said. Enditem