Israeli troops who mocked Palestinian face probe

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The Israeli army said on Friday it was investigating an incident in which soldiers detained and mocked a blindfolded Palestinian, laughing at him as they forced him to repeat words in Hebrew.

An army spokeswoman said military investigators were attempting to discover the identities of the soldiers and of the Palestinian. The date on which the incident took place and its location were also being investigated, she said.

"Behavior of this type violates the Israel Defence Force's core values and the high standards to which its soldiers are held," the spokeswoman said.

She said the soldiers, who appeared to admit in a video clip posted on YouTube that they belonged to the tough Golani infantry brigade, could face disciplinary action after a "thorough investigation" was completed.

The incident, which was first exposed by Israel's Channel 10 television on Thursday night, was the latest to emerge of known cases in which Israeli soldiers have abused Palestinians either verbally or physically.

Palestinian officials have complained that soldiers found guilty of involvement in such cases are never disciplined strongly enough, saying they often receive little more than a reprimand.

(Writing by Ori Lewis)