Hebron resident, activist and attorney Itamar Ben-Givir last week stopped a PA (Palestinian Authority) police convoy traveling on Highway 60 between Hebron and the capital. Some of the members of the convoy were armed. They were traveling in an area under total Israeli control.

Ben-Givir was traveling on the road too and explains he decided to act, well aware the PA police are not permitted to travel on the Israeli road as they were doing. When the opportunity presented itself he blocked the convoy, an act many feel was possibly suicidal. He explained to Kol Berama Radio that quite the contrary, by permitting such action places everyone in grave danger and if people do not act as they should when something occurs, everyone pays the price down the road. Ben-Givir explained armed PA police are barred from the road but they were traveling without fear of anyone addressing their presence so decided to act.

The convoy consisted of eight vehicles. When Ben-Givir stopped them they were nothing less than shocked, with some of them recognizing Ben-Givir from his activist activities. The police began shouting at IDF soldiers “He is a right-wing extremist”, expecting the soldiers to remove Ben-Givir from the area.

The soldiers however instructed the police to get back into their vehicles and park on the side so the complaint could be investigated. The police began making calls in an effort to reach the correct politicians to resolve the matter. They were detained for a half hour until the Etzion Brigade commander arrived on gave the order to release them.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)