Jerusalem ( CNN ) -- The Israeli military said Monday that it has suspended an officer who was caught on video striking a pro-Palestinian activist in the face . In a statement , the military described the incident as severe and promised that the circumstances would be investigated and `` the necessary measures carried out . '' Video of the incident , which took place Saturday near the West Bank city of Jericho , shows a group of Israeli soldiers attempting to prevent a group of dozens of bicycle-riding activists from passing . One of the activists is next to an Israeli soldier , who suddenly hits the young man in the face with an M-16 rifle . The man falls to the ground and is quickly dragged away by his peers . The video was posted to You Tube on Sunday by a pro-Palestinian advocacy group . He was treated in a Palestinian hospital for light injuries . For reasons of security , when contacted by phone the injured activist would provide only his first name , which he said was Andaers . He said he was participating in a bicycle tour through the Jordan River Valley organized to bring attention to the Israeli military occupation of the West Bank . When his group encountered a military roadblock , Andaers said , he and a few other bikers decided to move peacefully toward the soldiers . `` We walked slowly towards them ; the immediate response as you see from the video was violence . '' Andaers said . `` One senior officer took off his rifle and beat three people , including myself . '' Andaers said that `` there was no justification for the violence '' and that he was considering legal action . The video prompted a quick and emphatic response from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , who said in a statement Sunday , `` This behaviour does not characterize the soldiers and commanders of the ( Israeli Defense Forces ) and has no place in the IDF and the State of Israel . '' The officer has been identified as Lt. Col. Shalom Eisner , who served as commander for soldiers in the West Bank . Israeli military spokeswoman Lt. Col. Avital Leibovich said the officer 's actions were not in line with military training and did `` not bide with the ethical code and the moral values that we teach our soldiers and commanders '' but suggested that the video did not tell the whole story . `` It was an illegal riot trying to block a road , '' Leibovich said of the activists . The video , she maintained , represented an edited 30 seconds of a 120-minute-long event in which the officer in question had his hand broken by stick-wielding protesters . `` I 'm not sure the violence of the event was conveyed in those 30 seconds , '' she said . Bader Zama'reh , the director of Sharek Youth Forum , which organized the bicycle event , rejected the Israeli military 's characterization . `` This was not a protest ; this was a peaceful march , '' Zama'reh said . `` They have overreacted to everything they did . This was a peaceful activity . The youth had bicycles and wanted to ride . ''
Tape of day 's incident shows soldiers trying to block activists . One young man is shown being hit in face with a rifle . Israeli military says it will be investigated . Video does n't tell the whole story , military says .