MEE Staff
Middle East Eye / February 17, 2022
Palestinian Authority condemns the ‘distressful’ detention, calling it a ‘barbaric act’.
Israeli troops unleashed a military dog at a Palestinian man during an overnight arrest, new footage showed on Wednesday, despite the man holding his hands up in the air.
Mailk Ma’ala (19) was arrested on Monday at his workplace in the occupied West Bank city of Al-Bireh, near Ramallah.
The footage showed him holding his hands behind his head before the dog was released by soldiers standing in close proximity.
Moments after the dog attacked Ma’ala, soldiers approached him to make the arrest.
The Palestinian Authority’s prisoners commission condemned the “distressful and cruel” detention, calling it a “barbaric act”.
“It is another proof that clarifies the ongoing methods of the occupation aiming at breaking the will of our people to build a successful and stable future,” the commission said in a statement on Thursday.
“This barbaric act coincides with the absence of the role of human rights organizations in defending the minimum rights of our people in building their future and obtaining freedom.”
Ma’ala was working as a guard at an industrial facility in al-Bireh to raise money for his university fees, the commission added.
The dog was muzzled to prevent it harming Ma’ala, the army said, and was released only to frighten him, according to Haaretz newspaper.
The youth was taken to an unknown destination, the commission said, and his family has no information about him.
The Israeli army has not immediately replied to a Middle East Eye request for comment.
