10 jan 2019
Military police arrest 5 members of Netzah Yehuda battalion on suspicion of assaulting two detainees; this is not the first time troubled battalion has been involved in violent incidents, as last month soldiers fought with Border Policemen in an effort to free settlers.
The Military Police Criminal Investigation Division (CID) arrested an IDF platoon commander and four combat soldiers from the IDF's religious battalion Netzah Yehuda Thursday for allegedly beating two Palestinians who were held in custody.
The soldiers were to be brought before a military court Thursday for their remand hearing.
About a month ago, two soldiers from the ultra-Orthodox Netzah Yehuda battalion tried to free three settlers who were in custody for throwing stones at Palestinians. As a result, a rare clash broke out between the soldiers and the Border Police forces who arrested the settlers.
The two servicemen were suspended from their positions pending a joint investigation of the incident by the IDF and Border Police.
In the past couple of years the religious battalion was involved in a number of violent incidents.
Among others, members of the battalion were disciplined for interfering with a Palestinian journalist as she was reporting from the field, allowing participants in the so-called "wedding of hate" to use their weapons, and pointing a firearm at an Israeli Arab man in the Old City of Jerusalem.
Although most of these incidents involved only a handful of Netzah Yehuda soldiers, they still point to an alarming trend.
The Military Police Criminal Investigation Division (CID) arrested an IDF platoon commander and four combat soldiers from the IDF's religious battalion Netzah Yehuda Thursday for allegedly beating two Palestinians who were held in custody.
The soldiers were to be brought before a military court Thursday for their remand hearing.
About a month ago, two soldiers from the ultra-Orthodox Netzah Yehuda battalion tried to free three settlers who were in custody for throwing stones at Palestinians. As a result, a rare clash broke out between the soldiers and the Border Police forces who arrested the settlers.
The two servicemen were suspended from their positions pending a joint investigation of the incident by the IDF and Border Police.
In the past couple of years the religious battalion was involved in a number of violent incidents.
Among others, members of the battalion were disciplined for interfering with a Palestinian journalist as she was reporting from the field, allowing participants in the so-called "wedding of hate" to use their weapons, and pointing a firearm at an Israeli Arab man in the Old City of Jerusalem.
Although most of these incidents involved only a handful of Netzah Yehuda soldiers, they still point to an alarming trend.
Israel’s Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court agreed on Thursday to release to house arrest four of the five Israeli suspects in the October murder of a Palestinian woman.
The court ordered that the fifth suspect remain in Shin Bet custody for another six days.
The Shin Bet as well as the lawyers representing the teens confirmed the ruling, which was made behind closed doors.
“We, of course, are happy about [the police’s request], but we will demand an investigation into how the Shin Bet reached such a situation in which it so harshly investigated innocent individuals, while completely ignoring their cries as well as the cries of their families and attorneys,” said lawyer Hay Haber, who accused the security agency of violently interrogating his clients.
On Sunday, the Shin Bet partially lifted a gag order on the case and announced that it had arrested the five, students from the Pri Haaretz yeshiva in the Rehelim settlement, on suspicion of involvement in the killing of Aisha al Rabi, a 47-year-old Palestinian mother of eight.
Aisha was struck on the head by a large rock on the evening of October 12 as she traveled by car to her West Bank home with her husband and daughter. She was pronounced dead at a Nablus hospital a short time later.
Rabi’s husband, who was driving the targeted vehicle, said he heard a small group of Hebrew speakers at the scene shortly after the rock was thrown.
Israeli investigations into settler terrorism are rarely conducted. Left-wing activists have accused authorities of dragging their feet in such cases in comparison to investigations into Palestinian anti-occupation attacks.
The court ordered that the fifth suspect remain in Shin Bet custody for another six days.
The Shin Bet as well as the lawyers representing the teens confirmed the ruling, which was made behind closed doors.
“We, of course, are happy about [the police’s request], but we will demand an investigation into how the Shin Bet reached such a situation in which it so harshly investigated innocent individuals, while completely ignoring their cries as well as the cries of their families and attorneys,” said lawyer Hay Haber, who accused the security agency of violently interrogating his clients.
On Sunday, the Shin Bet partially lifted a gag order on the case and announced that it had arrested the five, students from the Pri Haaretz yeshiva in the Rehelim settlement, on suspicion of involvement in the killing of Aisha al Rabi, a 47-year-old Palestinian mother of eight.
Aisha was struck on the head by a large rock on the evening of October 12 as she traveled by car to her West Bank home with her husband and daughter. She was pronounced dead at a Nablus hospital a short time later.
Rabi’s husband, who was driving the targeted vehicle, said he heard a small group of Hebrew speakers at the scene shortly after the rock was thrown.
Israeli investigations into settler terrorism are rarely conducted. Left-wing activists have accused authorities of dragging their feet in such cases in comparison to investigations into Palestinian anti-occupation attacks.
8 jan 2019
Palestinians carry the body of 48-year-old mother of eight, Aisha Rabi, who died of her wounds after the car she was travelling in with her husband was hit by stones, during her funeral in the West Bank village of Bidya, near Salfit, on October 13, 2018.
Five Jewish teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of murdering a Palestinian woman in the West Bank, three months ago.
Aisha Mohammed Rabi, a 48-year-old mother from Biddya, was driving with her husband Yacoub near a West Bank checkpoint south of Nablus when the settlers began to throw stones at their vehicle. Rabi was hit in the head and died shortly after being transported to the hospital.
According to the PNN, Israeli police soon arrived at the scene and opened an investigation. Five teens have been arrested since December 30, as part of a major Jewish terrorism probe in the West Bank.
The Shin Bet internal security agency said, in its Sunday statement, that all the suspects were students at the “Pri Ha’aretz” yeshiva, in the nearby settlement of Rehelim.
A gag-order has been placed to prevent publication of more details in the investigation, including the names of the attackers.
A group of far-right Israeli activists gathered outside the residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to protest the arrests and call for his intervention on Saturday night.
Five Jewish teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of murdering a Palestinian woman in the West Bank, three months ago.
Aisha Mohammed Rabi, a 48-year-old mother from Biddya, was driving with her husband Yacoub near a West Bank checkpoint south of Nablus when the settlers began to throw stones at their vehicle. Rabi was hit in the head and died shortly after being transported to the hospital.
According to the PNN, Israeli police soon arrived at the scene and opened an investigation. Five teens have been arrested since December 30, as part of a major Jewish terrorism probe in the West Bank.
The Shin Bet internal security agency said, in its Sunday statement, that all the suspects were students at the “Pri Ha’aretz” yeshiva, in the nearby settlement of Rehelim.
A gag-order has been placed to prevent publication of more details in the investigation, including the names of the attackers.
A group of far-right Israeli activists gathered outside the residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to protest the arrests and call for his intervention on Saturday night.
5 jan 2019
The Israeli Rishon Lezion courthouse, on Monday, heard the case of 3 minors suspected of a 2015 firebombing attack in Duma village, southeast of the northern West Bank city of Nablus.
The terrorist attack, in which right-wing Israeli extremists set fire to the Dawabsha family home, by throwing a firebomb inside, resulted in the death of 18-month-old Ali Saad Dawabsha. The fire also severely injured the baby’s 4-year-old brother Ahmad, and his mother and father, both of whom later died, leaving only Ahmad.
The words ‘price tag’ were spray-painted, in Hebrew, on the home of Sa’ad and Reham Dawabsha, which is a common phrase used by Israeli extremists to intimidate Palestinians, implying that the attacks are the price which they, the Palestinians, must pay to exist.
20 Israeli extremists, in support of the suspects, became violent with police outside the courthouse, resulting in some of the extremists being thrown to the ground and detained by police, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Israeli attacks against Palestinians almost doubled in 2018, as compared to 2017. Additionally, there have been a number of these so-called ‘price-tag’ vandalism incidents that remain unsolved.
One such savage attack in particular was the October 12, 2018 stoning death of 47-year -old Palestinian mother Aisha Mohammad al-Rabi, in which Israeli settlers threw a number of large rocks at her car, smashing the windshield and hitting Aisha in the cheek and ear, killing her almost instantly.
Aisha, who had just completed her university education before she was killed, is survived by her husband and 8 children, the youngest of whom is 8 years.
The terrorist attack, in which right-wing Israeli extremists set fire to the Dawabsha family home, by throwing a firebomb inside, resulted in the death of 18-month-old Ali Saad Dawabsha. The fire also severely injured the baby’s 4-year-old brother Ahmad, and his mother and father, both of whom later died, leaving only Ahmad.
The words ‘price tag’ were spray-painted, in Hebrew, on the home of Sa’ad and Reham Dawabsha, which is a common phrase used by Israeli extremists to intimidate Palestinians, implying that the attacks are the price which they, the Palestinians, must pay to exist.
20 Israeli extremists, in support of the suspects, became violent with police outside the courthouse, resulting in some of the extremists being thrown to the ground and detained by police, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Israeli attacks against Palestinians almost doubled in 2018, as compared to 2017. Additionally, there have been a number of these so-called ‘price-tag’ vandalism incidents that remain unsolved.
One such savage attack in particular was the October 12, 2018 stoning death of 47-year -old Palestinian mother Aisha Mohammad al-Rabi, in which Israeli settlers threw a number of large rocks at her car, smashing the windshield and hitting Aisha in the cheek and ear, killing her almost instantly.
Aisha, who had just completed her university education before she was killed, is survived by her husband and 8 children, the youngest of whom is 8 years.
3 jan 2019
Police and Border Police forces are pelted with rocks and stones while evacuating settler youth who barricaded themselves in the illegal outpost, which was evacuated two years ago. The youth returned to the outpost in protest of recent Palestinian terrorism.
Twenty-three police officers and three civilians were wounded Thursday morning as Israeli forces evacuated some 300 settlers who have recently returned to the illegal outpost of Amona.
The settlers barricaded themselves in two mobile structures at the former outpost, which was evacuated less than two years ago under a court order. They returned to the outpost last month in protest of a recent outburst of Palestinian terror attacks, which claimed the lives of two soldiers and prematurely born baby.
Police and Border Police were faced with violent rioting by the settlers, who hurled rocks, stones and metal objects at the forces, as well as burned tires and poured oil on access roads to the outpost. Seven settlers were arrested.
The 23 police officers were lightly hurt, mostly from stone-throwing, with one officer stabbed with a sharp object.
At least five Border Policemen and one civilian were taken to the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem's Mount Scopus to receive treatment.
After the settlers were evacuated, Israel's Civil Administration began work on evacuating the caravans they brought with them.
The settlers returned for ceremonial event at the Amona outpost in the Mateh Binyamin region, which was February 2017 following a court ruling that it was built on private Palestinian land.
During the event, they placed two units on plots of land they said former Amona residents purchased from Palestinians, with the assistance of private investors and donors.
The event was attended by members of the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council, Shomron Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, MK Bezalel Smotrich of the right-wing Bayit Yehudi party, and Avichai Buaron, a representative of the residents of the outpost.
"After two years of this place being uninhabited, we are fortunate to resume Israeli life here," said Yisrael Gantz, head of the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council. "The plots upon which we erected the structures were legally purchased. Yesterday, I promised to establish a new settlement in Binyamin in response to the deadly attacks and today we are carrying it out."
Avichai Buaron, who led the Amona residents in recent years, said: "The night we were expelled from our homes we swore to do everything to bring back Jewish life here, to raise the Israeli flag high up so that all our enemies will know—we will be victorious! This land is our home and we will fight for our home to the end."
The settlers then petitioned the High Court of Justice seeking a temporary order to allow them to stay at the outpost but were rejected out of hand, with the state informing them on Monday that they had to evacuate within 48 hours, which expired on Wednesday night.
Twenty-three police officers and three civilians were wounded Thursday morning as Israeli forces evacuated some 300 settlers who have recently returned to the illegal outpost of Amona.
The settlers barricaded themselves in two mobile structures at the former outpost, which was evacuated less than two years ago under a court order. They returned to the outpost last month in protest of a recent outburst of Palestinian terror attacks, which claimed the lives of two soldiers and prematurely born baby.
Police and Border Police were faced with violent rioting by the settlers, who hurled rocks, stones and metal objects at the forces, as well as burned tires and poured oil on access roads to the outpost. Seven settlers were arrested.
The 23 police officers were lightly hurt, mostly from stone-throwing, with one officer stabbed with a sharp object.
At least five Border Policemen and one civilian were taken to the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem's Mount Scopus to receive treatment.
After the settlers were evacuated, Israel's Civil Administration began work on evacuating the caravans they brought with them.
The settlers returned for ceremonial event at the Amona outpost in the Mateh Binyamin region, which was February 2017 following a court ruling that it was built on private Palestinian land.
During the event, they placed two units on plots of land they said former Amona residents purchased from Palestinians, with the assistance of private investors and donors.
The event was attended by members of the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council, Shomron Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, MK Bezalel Smotrich of the right-wing Bayit Yehudi party, and Avichai Buaron, a representative of the residents of the outpost.
"After two years of this place being uninhabited, we are fortunate to resume Israeli life here," said Yisrael Gantz, head of the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council. "The plots upon which we erected the structures were legally purchased. Yesterday, I promised to establish a new settlement in Binyamin in response to the deadly attacks and today we are carrying it out."
Avichai Buaron, who led the Amona residents in recent years, said: "The night we were expelled from our homes we swore to do everything to bring back Jewish life here, to raise the Israeli flag high up so that all our enemies will know—we will be victorious! This land is our home and we will fight for our home to the end."
The settlers then petitioned the High Court of Justice seeking a temporary order to allow them to stay at the outpost but were rejected out of hand, with the state informing them on Monday that they had to evacuate within 48 hours, which expired on Wednesday night.
2 jan 2019
Settler youth clash with police outside the courtroom holding a hearing in the case of three Jewish terrorism suspects
Educational institution attended by three terror suspects reportedly raided numerous times, with suspects' lawyers accusing police and the Shin Bet of persecution and harassment of innocent people.
The Shin Bet domestic security service and the Israel Police have questioned over 30 Jewish minors and conducted numerous raids at a yeshiva (Jewish seminary) in the West Bank. The institution was attended by three suspects arrested earlier this week as part of a far-reaching investigation into Jewish terrorism in Israel.
"They told me I had ticks; they yelled at me; they made fun of me and told me we'd undergo a hard interrogation," recounted one of the teenagers who had been questioned.
Jewish Home MK Bezalel Smotrich, who was approached for help by the pedagogical staff at the yeshiva, sent a letter of complaint to Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit.
"In recent weeks, I've received multiple complaints from parents, students and staff at the institution about persecution that has reached the point of unlawful and unreasonable harassment by the Shin Bet and Israel Police," Smotrich wrote to the attorney general.
"This persecution includes threats, mass summons of students at the educational institution for intimidating talks, testimonies and questionings, as well as threats and intimidation of various people with ties to the institution, in an attempt to undermine it, its good name and any cooperation with it. This is most likely a form of 'fishing,' the loss of all common sense, firing in all directions without any concrete and specific suspicions," he said.
Smotrich conceded that suspicions of Jewish terrorism should be investigated, "but they must do it in a way that is common and acceptable in a democratic and law-abiding country. There must not be collective punishment and manipulation of the yeshiva students and employees based on a general assumption some of the students are involved (in the case)."
Attorney Adi Kedar of the Honenu NGO, who represents suspects in the case, said he had complained to the police about the matter in early November 2018. "The Shin Bet marked them as targets, and as a result the rights of innocent people are being violated; the daily lives of teens and families are being adversely impacted," he said. "This is a wrong and dangerous practice that should be denounced. We've already seen how such practices can lead to false charges."
Attorney Itamar Ben-Gvir, who also represents suspects in the case, added: "Coming to an educational institution and harassing the students there is the lowest thing that can be done. If this were a school in (the East Jerusalem Arab neighborhood of) Silwan or the Bedouin community, the National Council for the Child and all of the other human rights organizations would've protested. But when it's an institution attended by settlers, suddenly children have no rights. It's very serious."
Educational institution attended by three terror suspects reportedly raided numerous times, with suspects' lawyers accusing police and the Shin Bet of persecution and harassment of innocent people.
The Shin Bet domestic security service and the Israel Police have questioned over 30 Jewish minors and conducted numerous raids at a yeshiva (Jewish seminary) in the West Bank. The institution was attended by three suspects arrested earlier this week as part of a far-reaching investigation into Jewish terrorism in Israel.
"They told me I had ticks; they yelled at me; they made fun of me and told me we'd undergo a hard interrogation," recounted one of the teenagers who had been questioned.
Jewish Home MK Bezalel Smotrich, who was approached for help by the pedagogical staff at the yeshiva, sent a letter of complaint to Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit.
"In recent weeks, I've received multiple complaints from parents, students and staff at the institution about persecution that has reached the point of unlawful and unreasonable harassment by the Shin Bet and Israel Police," Smotrich wrote to the attorney general.
"This persecution includes threats, mass summons of students at the educational institution for intimidating talks, testimonies and questionings, as well as threats and intimidation of various people with ties to the institution, in an attempt to undermine it, its good name and any cooperation with it. This is most likely a form of 'fishing,' the loss of all common sense, firing in all directions without any concrete and specific suspicions," he said.
Smotrich conceded that suspicions of Jewish terrorism should be investigated, "but they must do it in a way that is common and acceptable in a democratic and law-abiding country. There must not be collective punishment and manipulation of the yeshiva students and employees based on a general assumption some of the students are involved (in the case)."
Attorney Adi Kedar of the Honenu NGO, who represents suspects in the case, said he had complained to the police about the matter in early November 2018. "The Shin Bet marked them as targets, and as a result the rights of innocent people are being violated; the daily lives of teens and families are being adversely impacted," he said. "This is a wrong and dangerous practice that should be denounced. We've already seen how such practices can lead to false charges."
Attorney Itamar Ben-Gvir, who also represents suspects in the case, added: "Coming to an educational institution and harassing the students there is the lowest thing that can be done. If this were a school in (the East Jerusalem Arab neighborhood of) Silwan or the Bedouin community, the National Council for the Child and all of the other human rights organizations would've protested. But when it's an institution attended by settlers, suddenly children have no rights. It's very serious."
1 jan 2019
Judge slams behavior of investigators after police set up a fake prison cell, pretended to be inmates and even planted drugs in his bed in an effort to secure a confession from the young settler
The Central District Court in Lod on Tuesday threw out a confession given by an Israeli minor detained as part of a far-reaching investigation into Jewish terrorism, on the grounds that it was extracted by unlawful means and under duress.
The teen has been charged with several racially motivated offenses, including arson and damage to property in a 2013 attack at the Abbey of the Dormition in Jerusalem. During the attack, graffitti reading "Christians are monkeys" and “Christians are slaves" was sprayed on the walls of the church.
The youth was also questioned on suspicion of involvement in the deadly Duma terror attack of 2015, in which three members of a Palestinian family died in a fire started by Jewish extremists at their West Bank home. The court, however, found he was not involved in the attack.
The decision to throw out the teen's testimony was made after his attorney, Itamar Ben-Gvir, argued that the Shin Bet domestic security service and the police unlawfully obtained the confession from his client, who admitted to carrying out the hate crimes while he was in custody in Acre.
On Thursday, the investigative television program Fact reported that the youth had been placed in a fake prison cell in Acre Prison, while policemen disguised as his cellmates applied massive pressure on him to confess to his actions, including stopping him from sleeping and eating.
One of the policemen played the role of a prisoner serving a murder sentence, and officers even planted fake drugs under his mattress to pressure him.
Ben-Gvir argued in court that a red line had been crossed and that unacceptable investigative measures had been used to get the confession.
Throwing out the confession, Judge Michal Brandt called the behavior of the police “unfair, to say the least, as well as offensive and threatening,” the Times of Israel reported.
Ben-Gvir praised the court's decision, saying his client had been denied his basic rights.
"This is an important day for Israeli democracy. The time has come for the Shin Bet and the police to know that the Hilltop Youth (young exteme-right settlers) also have basic rights. All red lines have been crossed in this investigation. I'm glad the court accepted our claim and disqualified the confession," Ben-Gvir said.
The Central District Prosecutor's Office said in a statement that they may rethink their strategy in light of the ruling.
"The defendant was charged with severe offenses, whose ramifications are also felt in internationally. The police and Shin Bet used measures they believed to be within the boundaries of the law. The court rejected the confession given by the minor under these conditions, and we will thoroughly review the court's decision and consider our future actions."
The Central District Court in Lod on Tuesday threw out a confession given by an Israeli minor detained as part of a far-reaching investigation into Jewish terrorism, on the grounds that it was extracted by unlawful means and under duress.
The teen has been charged with several racially motivated offenses, including arson and damage to property in a 2013 attack at the Abbey of the Dormition in Jerusalem. During the attack, graffitti reading "Christians are monkeys" and “Christians are slaves" was sprayed on the walls of the church.
The youth was also questioned on suspicion of involvement in the deadly Duma terror attack of 2015, in which three members of a Palestinian family died in a fire started by Jewish extremists at their West Bank home. The court, however, found he was not involved in the attack.
The decision to throw out the teen's testimony was made after his attorney, Itamar Ben-Gvir, argued that the Shin Bet domestic security service and the police unlawfully obtained the confession from his client, who admitted to carrying out the hate crimes while he was in custody in Acre.
On Thursday, the investigative television program Fact reported that the youth had been placed in a fake prison cell in Acre Prison, while policemen disguised as his cellmates applied massive pressure on him to confess to his actions, including stopping him from sleeping and eating.
One of the policemen played the role of a prisoner serving a murder sentence, and officers even planted fake drugs under his mattress to pressure him.
Ben-Gvir argued in court that a red line had been crossed and that unacceptable investigative measures had been used to get the confession.
Throwing out the confession, Judge Michal Brandt called the behavior of the police “unfair, to say the least, as well as offensive and threatening,” the Times of Israel reported.
Ben-Gvir praised the court's decision, saying his client had been denied his basic rights.
"This is an important day for Israeli democracy. The time has come for the Shin Bet and the police to know that the Hilltop Youth (young exteme-right settlers) also have basic rights. All red lines have been crossed in this investigation. I'm glad the court accepted our claim and disqualified the confession," Ben-Gvir said.
The Central District Prosecutor's Office said in a statement that they may rethink their strategy in light of the ruling.
"The defendant was charged with severe offenses, whose ramifications are also felt in internationally. The police and Shin Bet used measures they believed to be within the boundaries of the law. The court rejected the confession given by the minor under these conditions, and we will thoroughly review the court's decision and consider our future actions."
