Haifa Court Acquits Two Border Police Officers in West Bank Flash-Bang Case
The Haifa Magistrate’s Court has acquitted two Border Police officers who were charged over a flash-bang grenade thrown during an operation in northern Samaria in January 2023, which left a Palestinian man from the West Bank blind in one eye. Judge Ihsan Halabi ruled that the grenade thrower’s version, that he acted against rioters, was not disproved beyond a reasonable doubt.
The incident occurred while a Border Police force was securing the demolition of a terrorist’s home near the village of Kafr Dan. According to the indictment, as the unit was returning to base, a Palestinian man, whose name was not published in the ruling, stood by the road, leaning on his car and smoking while watching the convoy. The state said one officer opened the door of the armored “Zeev” vehicle and the other threw the grenade. The complainant lost sight in his left eye and later underwent surgery to empty the eye and replace it with a glass prosthesis.
Prosecutors argued that no public disorder preceded the grenade throw, so there was no operational justification. The complainant denied throwing stones before the grenade was fired. The defendant who threw the grenade insisted there had been disturbances, saying, “Every grenade that was thrown was toward a rioter.” He said he had been ordered by the company commander to “keep the route clear” and ensure that “not a single stone is thrown at the vehicles.” The second defendant said his role was limited to opening the armored vehicle door.
Judge Halabi found the grenade thrower credible and said the prosecution had not proven negligence beyond a reasonable doubt. Although video footage was presented, he said it did not rule out the defendant’s claim that the use of force responded to disorder, and did not provide the full context of time and place. He noted that a flash-bang is a “light” device and not a weapon of death, and said the prosecution’s theory remained too doubtful to establish negligence. Because of that uncertainty, the court said the doubt also benefited the second defendant, who was fully acquitted. The ruling ended with a partial acquittal for the grenade thrower and complete acquittal for his colleague.
