Two Security Officials from Samaria Arrested, Denied Legal Counsel

Two security officials from the Samaria region were arrested early Sunday morning by police and Shin Bet forces. An unusual gag order has been placed on the detainees, preventing them from meeting with a lawyer. The details of the arrests and the identities of the individuals are under a publication ban. According to one of the families involved, who are bereaved, the arrest occurred around 5:00 AM. The wife of one detainee reported that a police force of at least 15 officers, some masked, raided their home and did not provide her husband with the reason for his arrest. His weapon, communication devices, and a Ranger ATV were confiscated.

The two men were transferred to Shin Bet investigation, and their request to meet with legal counsel was denied. A hearing regarding their case is scheduled for 2:00 PM at the Petah Tikva Magistrate's Court. In parallel, attorney Nati Rom from the Honenu organization filed an urgent appeal to the Lod District Court, demanding the cancellation of the order preventing the detainees from meeting their lawyers. Rom stated, "The use of the Shin Bet's most draconian tools against our finest sons during wartime is inconceivable. These are tools meant for terrorists, used against security personnel who have dedicated their lives to defending the country. Denying a meeting with a lawyer is reserved for exceptional, extreme cases only."

Sources within the settlement movement claim that the establishment of the inter-organizational command in the Judea and Samaria region, under Superintendent Moshe Finchi, was intended to expand activity against settlers. They had warned upon its establishment that it would not be limited to youths associated with "Hilltop Youth." The current arrest, they argue, demonstrates that the activity is now extending to individuals holding security roles within the settlements who do not necessarily belong to the groups initially targeted.

Similarly, about a year and a half ago, the security coordinator of the Malachi HaShalom settlement and another reservist were arrested for Shin Bet investigation and later released without indictments. The settlement movement contends that this arrest is facilitated by the campaign against settler violence, which draws condemnation against settlement pioneers even from within mainstream settlement circles. The police stated that the arrests are part of a joint investigation by the inter-organizational command in the Judea and Samaria region and the Shin Bet concerning extreme violence in the Akarba area about a month ago. Two suspects were arrested overnight for alleged involvement, and the investigation is ongoing with the Shin Bet and the Military Police. Dovidi Ben Zion, Deputy Head of the Samaria Regional Council and candidate for the Am Ech Israel party, called the arrest of a security coordinator "a disgrace," adding that it is "surreal that the person responsible for the security of Itamar Ridge residents is taken for investigation in the dead of night."