Four Kiryat Arba residents were detained on motzei Shabbos parshas Bereshis during demonstrations protesting the continuing terror attacks. Honenu attorney Ze’ev Wolf arrived at the police station to advise the detainees.

Honenu reports that two of the detainees were suspected of assaulting a policeman and beaten at the time of their detention, one of them severely. However when they arrived at the police station the assaulted policeman testified that the detainees were not his assailants and they were released without being interrogated.

An additional detainee who was suspected of shoving a policeman in the heat of the action was also released without being interrogated after he denied all charges. The fourth detainee was interrogated on suspicion of throwing rocks at a vehicle belonging to European anarchists from the TIPH organization. He denied all charges and was released overnight.

Due to the injury and deep cuts suffered by one of detainees, who hadn’t assaulted a policeman and was unconditionally released, Honenu attorney Ze’ev Wolf severely criticized the conduct of the police and reasoned that the policemen, who had been frustrated by having their hands tied when dealing with terror, were taking out their anger specifically on the residents of Yehuda and Shomron who have been protesting the security situation.

“Both the police conduct during the detentions and my attempt to speak to the policemen at the police station gave the distinct impression that the Hebron Police are trying to divert the accusing finger from the rioting Arabs to the settlers who came to protest the powerlessness of the police and to support IDF soldiers,” said Wolf.

“Unfortunately it appears that the same policemen find it convenient to take out their frustration from the incidents on the Jewish population of Yehuda and Shomron. It is regrettable that the policy which accommodates rioting Arabs is forgotten when it comes to Jews who were only protesting serious incidents [of Arab terror].”

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)