Germany demands 'consequences' for Palestinian tied to Israeli jeep

Israeli soldiers block a road in the West Bank. Ilia Yefimovich/dpa

Germany condemned the way an injured Palestinian was tied to the bonnet of a military vehicle in the northern West Bank city of Jenin over the weekend, calling for "clarification and consequences," a Foreign Ministry spokesman said in Berlin on Monday.

The video clip showing the incident was "difficult to bear," the spokesman said.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Sunday confirmed the incident in which IDF troops tied the injured man to the bonnet of a jeep and drove past two ambulances in the city.

It said the troops had been on their way to a counterterrorism operation in the greater Jenin area, when they had come under fire.

"Terrorists opened fire at IDF troops, who responded with fire. During the exchange of fire, one of the suspects was injured and apprehended," the IDF said.

The conduct of the IDF troops had been in violation of military procedures, and the incident was being investigated, the IDF said.

The injured suspect had been handed over to the Red Cross for medical treatment, it said.

The German Foreign Ministry spokesman said he was aware that this conduct represented a violation of IDF rules and that the German government now expected "rapid clarification, rapid results and corresponding consequences for those responsible."