The Israeli army officer who's been suspended for viciously assaulting a young Danish peace activist on the West Bank claims he was only acting in self defence.
Although a You Tube video clip clearly shows the attack was unprovoked, the officer, named as Shalom Eisner, claims his life and others were in danger from the demonstrators. "After showing restraint for two hours some of my soldiers feared the demonstration was getting out of hand. I should have been better prepared but I just used what I had in my hand - an M-16 rifle."
The video, which has become a top history in the Israeli media, has been manipulated according to the officer. "It's obvious that it's been edited to cause maximum damage to the state of Israel. It doesn't show the demonstrators attacking soldiers with sticks."
The young Dane who was hit in the face with the M-16, and who wishes to remain anonymous, dismissed the self-defence claim as a 'complete lie’. "If we'd have attacked the soldiers we'd all have been behind bars now. I didn't see one activist acting aggressively," he said in an interview with tabloid daily BT.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Villy Søvndal has asked the Israeli authorities for a full report of the incident.