West Bank Security Coordinators Protest Arrests of Colleagues Suspected of Violence
Translated & summarized from Haaretz by baba
Two West Bank settlement security coordinators were arrested on suspicion of extreme violence near Aqraba. Their detention was extended by four days despite investigators seeking twelve. Security coordinators protested the arrests, blocking a junction and criticizing the treatment of the detainees. The Shomron Regional Council is appealing the detention, with its head emphasizing the need to protect the detainees' rights.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Two West Bank settlement security coordinators were arrested for alleged extreme violence near Aqraba.
- Security coordinators protested the arrests by blocking the Tapuach Junction with state-funded vehicles.
- The detainees were initially denied legal counsel, with their arrest extended by four days.
- The Shomron Regional Council appealed the detention, calling it a "traumatic experience" and criticizing the methods used.
- A witness from Aqraba reported that settler violence in the area is a new and shocking phenomenon.
Two security coordinators from West Bank settlements were arrested on Sunday as part of an investigation into "extreme violence in the Aqraba area about a month ago," according to statements from the police and Shin Bet. The Honenu organization reported that, unusually, the detainees were denied access to a lawyer until the following day, after an appeal was filed with the District Court. On Monday evening, Honenu updated that the arrests were extended by four days, contrary to the investigators' request for a 12-day extension. Details of the investigation and the suspects' identities are under a gag order.
On Tuesday, security coordinators from across the West Bank protested the arrests at the Tapuach Junction, blocking the intersection with state-funded security vehicles. Attorney Nati Rom of Honenu, after meeting the detainees, described their conditions as harsh, stating they were held in a "dungeon" in a two-by-two meter cell and called on the head of the Shin Bet to "stop this immediately." The Shomron Regional Council issued a statement titled "A Tool Reserved for Terrorists," announcing their appeal to the court for the men's release. Council head Yossi Dagan called the arrest, which occurred in the detainees' living room before their children, a "traumatic experience" and stressed the importance of upholding the detainees' basic rights and dignity, while also asserting that those who know the men are certain they are not guilty of violence against innocents.
The newspaper Haaretz inquired with the IDF spokesperson about the army's view on using security vehicles to block roads in protest of security personnel arrests for alleged violence, and whether a drone image from the scene was taken by security equipment or civilians. The article also notes that an outpost called "Tel Aroma" was established a few months ago between Aqraba and Beit Fari on land designated Area B, which falls under Palestinian civilian authority and is outside the jurisdiction of settlements where Israeli security coordinators typically operate. A witness from Aqraba told Haaretz that settler violence is a new phenomenon in the area, which was previously considered very safe.
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