Female Police Officer Disciplined After Slapping Fogel Family Murderer Across the Face

A female police officer interrogating one of the murderers of the Fogel family was so revolted by his “defiant” smile, she slapped him across the face. Just days ago, Amjad Awad, one of the two Palestinian cousins who murdered five members of the young Israeli family last March was sentenced to five life sentences. According to Israel’s Channel 2, which reported the incident exclusively [Hebrew link], killer Amjad Awad’s smile “from ear to ear” made the 52-year-old officer lose control:

A senior investigator with the Judea and Samaria police district could not control herself when she was faced with the Fogel family murderer smiling defiantly toward her during his interrogation – and slapped him. After that, she was sent to him in order to apologize. As a result of the incident, the female police officer was convicted by police court and was severely disciplined.

The investigator, who just last year was awarded outstanding police officer for her district, passed over Awad’s face during one of the interrogations and decided to slap him after he smiled – in her words – ‘defiantly’ at her. Right afterwards, she was taken to the interrogation room and apologized to him, as demanded by the murderer.

When the officer was brought to the police disciplinary court, she expressed regret for her actions and clarified that it was an uncontrollable impulse. It should be noted that this officer arrived at the family’s house on the night of the murder, entered the apartment and was exposed to the difficult sights at the scene. The disciplinary court did not take her into consideration and convicted her and sentenced her to a severe reprimand.

The Blaze spoke to the mayor of the town of Itamar in the Samaria region of the West Bank where the Fogel family lived. It was there that father Udi, mother Ruth, and children Yoav, 11, Elad, 4, and 3-month old Hadas were stabbed to death in their home, with the baby’s’ throat being slashed while she was in her crib.

Mayor Moshe Goldsmith saw the bloody crime scene himself and says, “When I walked into the house I couldn’t look at the bloodshed of the family and children. It was a nightmare a literal nightmare.”

Considering the horrific sight, Goldsmith is surprised by the disciplinary hearing. He says:

“It’s absolutely ridiculous to reprimand her in any way with someone so evil and cruel to smile in a situation like that. It’s so insensitive and cruel on the part of the police to reprimand her in any way. We’re talking about the most cruel murderers that there could be.”

The Judea and Samaria police district defended its actions in a statement to Channel 2:

“Even though in this case the murderer carried out inhuman acts, and despite taking into account the difficult sights to which the police officer was exposed, the way she conducted herself was not in line with police values and therefore she was dealt with in a disciplinary level.”

Amjad, age 19, and his 18-year-old cousin, Hakim Awad, said they decided only two days before the killing to carry out the terrorist attack. In multiple court appearances, they repeatedly smiled, made V for victory signs and expressed no remorse for killing the Fogels. Hakim was already sentenced to five life sentences in October.

You can watch Channel 2's report. Though in Hebrew, it shows the inside of the Fogel house and cousins arriving at court: