Israeli Police Plant Gun in Palestinian’s Home for TV Docudrama

When the truth holds unfavorable optics, cry out in pain and pretend to be a victim

-Israeli Police Plant Gun in Palestinian’s Home for TV Docudrama

-In the course of a TV series on the Jerusalem police force, police planted a weapon in the house of an East Jerusalem Palestinian resident and then documented its discovery.

-The police later apologized for the incident, and said they will investigate the matter, while the producers said it would “draw conclusions.”

-Samer Sleiman’s house in the village of Isawiyah was searched in November 2018, after which he was handed a document stating that nothing was found there. However, a few months later, Sleiman’s neighbors identified the house in an episode of a nine-part docudrama called Jerusalem District, aired on Kan TV. The episode records a search for weapons, in the course of which a cellar is discovered, described by one of the series’ main characters as “a tunnel which would do credit to the ones found in Gaza.”

-Sleiman’s son Saleh was shot five years ago with a sponge-tipped bullet fired by the police. He was then 11 years old, and the bullet caused him to lose his eyesight. He has recently been recognized as a victim of hostile action, entitling him to some state benefits. Following a query by Haaretz, Kan TV decided to remove that episode from its website and from YouTube. The police did not deny Sleiman’s charges.

-The camera follows the police in the dark cellar, illuminated by flashlights, and Hazan continues: “We noticed the dog marking a tiny hole in one of the tunnel’s walls.” One of the policemen digs a little with his foot and calls out, “Asaf!” The camera pans to a hole in the wall, in which short-barrel M-16 rifles, apparently new, are found. The policemen are happy, photographing the guns and congratulating each other. The next scene shows Hazan and Ovadia leaving the village, offering congratulations over the radio: “Good work, well done.”

-On a visit to the family this week, the father showed us the cellar and the hole in which weapons were supposedly discovered. Sleiman turns a light on, showing that there was no need for flashlights.

-He says that he asked the policemen why they were filming the search, but they said it was to prevent later claims of damage caused by the search. “They went in alone and we sat outside. I saw someone going in and out with weapons, but I didn’t attach any importance to it,” he says. After the search, Hazan and Ovadia gave him a report which stated that “nothing was found and no harm was done to anyone or anything.” Another section of the report also says that nothing was found there.

-Sleiman says he asked if he should come in for questioning but was told he didn’t have to. He asked for information about the reason for the search and was told to come to the station the next day. When he arrived, he was told he wasn’t needed and that there was no information they could give him.

-Only a few months later, when he got comments from his neighbors, he realized he was “starring” in a TV series. His face is blurred but neighbors can easily recognize the house and Sleiman’s voice. A few days ago, human rights lawyer Eitay Mack, representing Sleiman, turned to the police, asking them to open an investigation.

https://www .haaretz .com/israel-news/.premium-israeli-police-plant-gun-in-palestinian-s-home-for-reality-tv-show-1.7643256