Israel army forces violin recital

A Palestinian man queuing to pass an Israeli checkpoint was forced by soldiers to perform an impromptu violin recital, a human rights group says.

The group's footage of the incident shows the man playing to an audience of border guards and waiting Palestinians.

The Israeli army says the man was asked to play the instrument he was carrying to prove it was not full of explosives.

But, it said, the soldiers' conduct at the West Bank checkpoint had been insensitive and they were reprimanded.

A spokesman said the army tries to teach soldiers the need to show "sensitivity and consideration" as they contend with the "complex and dangerous reality" of policing checkpoints.

'Laughing soldiers'

Israel says its border checkpoints are designed to prevent Palestinian suicide bombers and militants from entering its territory.

Palestinians and rights groups say the border controls impose dangerous and humiliating restrictions on their freedom of movement.

Film footage of the checkpoint violin recital was shot on 9 November by Horit Herman Peled, a volunteer with women's human rights group, Machsom Watch, which monitors the conduct of Israeli troops.

Ms Herman Peled told the Associated Press news agency the Palestinian man complied with the soldiers' demand to play his instrument because "he just wanted to get through the roadblock".

Some of the soldiers were laughing during the performance, which lasted for about two minutes, she said.

Her footage shows a soldier checking the man's documents as he plays the violin, while a queue of Palestinians waits behind him.