An indictment was filed on Thursday against Uriya Cohen, 38, accusing him of firing a gun in a residential area endangering human life, making threats, reckless behavior and negligence, obstruction of justice, and assisting after the fact. Cohen, who owns the Zafnat farm in the West Bank, and others had claimed that more than 50 sheep were stolen from them, prompting a group of rioters to go down to the Palestinian town of Huwara to search for the flock.
According to the indictment, on June 6, after the herd had left the farm, Cohen and Yakir, the farm’s other owner, called on local residents to help find the animals. At 10:37, Cohen drove through Huwara with a masked man whose identity is unknown, both of them armed. Cohen then swerved to block a Hyundai Tucson carrying at least one unknown passenger, and the two men got out, pointed their weapons at the car and ordered the occupants out in an effort to intimidate them.
Cohen allegedly fired into the air, and when the vehicle fled, the masked man shot at it too. Later, Yakir arrived on a quad bike with another unknown man, partly wearing an army uniform and a military helmet. More unidentified assailants reached the scene, approached another vehicle carrying Palestinians from Huwara, demanded that the passengers exit, then opened the door and forcibly pulled out Zakaria Dimidi and Omar Dar Mohammed.
The indictment says the attackers beat the two men with their hands, clubs and rifle butts, with the masked man helping in the assault. Omar was injured and hospitalized in intensive care, while Zakaria suffered bruises and both were left lying on the road. During the beating, Cohen reportedly went over to Zakaria and pulled one attacker away. He then collected shell casings from the road and later drove away with the masked man and another rioter, passing the wounded men by the roadside. After an investigation, the IDF concluded that there had been no theft, saying the sheep had run away and that the farm owner had forgotten to lock the sheepfold gate and admitted it on Saturday morning before the confrontation.
