A policeman on duty at a peace rally at the Old City walls in Jerusalem on Dec. 30 has been suspended for using unnecessary force.
Police Inspector General David Kraus ordered the man removed from duties that brought him into contact with the public.
The officer, who was not identified, will be assigned henceforth to desk jobs.
Kraus acted Wednesday after viewing television footage of the peace demonstration shot by Israeli and foreign camera crews.
It showed police officers firing rubber bullets at demonstrators who were already fleeing the scene.
There were a number of injuries, including one Italian woman who lost an eye.
The demonstration was organized by Israel’s Peace Now movement and various European peace groups, which were invited to participate.
Several thousand Israelis, Arabs and Europeans joined hands to ring the Old City.
Scattered disturbances attributed to young Palestinian troublemakers drew police intervention, which the organizers of the rally charged was indiscriminate and excessive.
The police originally claimed they acted properly, but the television evidence and Kraus’ action seem to indicate otherwise.
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