Israeli policeman jailed for robbing Palestinians at checkpoints

The police officer was sentenced to two years in prison after he and another policeman were found to have robbed Palestinians at a checkpoint near Ramallah.

MENA

1 min read

The New Arab

31 May, 2020

The police officer was also convicted of attacking a photographer [Getty]

An Israeli police officer has been sentenced to two years in prison for stealing more than $3,000 from Palestinians at a West Bank checkpoint.

The Jerusalem District Court convicted Border Police officer Amjad Ashkar over the robbery of at least 10,900 shekels ($3,112), Haaretz reported on Saturday.

Ashkar was also convicted over the assault of a press photographer during a court hearing.

According to the original indictment two years ago, Ashkar and another Border Police officer robbed Palestinians at a checkpoint near Ramallah, stopping them for no reason before seizing money they found in their vehicles.

Judge Chana Miriam Lomp said the court had accepted a plea bargain from Ashkar as he was "a young man who volunteered to join the police and then took full responsibility for his actions and expressed remorse".

The other policeman involved, who did not take part in all of the thefts, was sentenced to nine months of community service last year.

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