According to a Jerusalem district police spokesman’s unit report, fifteen suspects, known to the police as operatives affiliated with the Lehava organization, were arrested and detained on Motzei Shabbos as part of a police investigation on suspicion that they acted to locate and threaten Arabs who had ties with Jewish girls and young women.

Police searched the homes of 15 suspects in the Jerusalem, Central, South and Yehuda & Shomron, searched the suspects’ homes, collected findings and detained the15 suspects who were brought to the central unit for questioning.

In recent years, the police, together with the security services, have been dealing with a number of incidents of assaults and harassment of members of minorities in Jerusalem by activists of the organization, in light of the organization’s ongoing battle against assimilation.

Officials explain the decision to hold the police investigation and detain/arrest the activists is intended to reduce the phenomenon motivated by racist nationalism and to and prevent its continuation, while preventing radicalization by members of the organization. The Israel Police spokesman unit statement adds, “The department will act wherever offenders take the law into their own hands, threaten, extort and/or act violently for any reason”.

Attorney Itamar Ben-Givir, who is defending organization leader Bentzion Gupstein, stated, “Yomam commando police during the night raided homes in the Shomron community of Itamar on the grounds the suspects were involved in threatening people. In another two week’s police are scheduled to respond to a petition filed by people affiliated with the Reform, with the latter exerting pressure to have Gupstein arrested and charged for his criminal activities. It is entirely possible that the extreme left-wing is also exerting pressure on police”.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)