Over 3 weeks after Amona evacuation, violent protesters have yet to be arrested
More than three weeks after police clashed with violent protesters during the evacuation of the hilltop outpost of Amona, there have been no additional arrests or indictments.
Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan warned February 5 that protesters who employed violence against security personnel during the February 1-2 court-ordered evacuation the outpost in the Binyamin region of the West Bank would be arrested and face serious charges, saying an interview with Channel 2 that the suspects were “hooligans” and that the police would be reviewing video from the incident to identify those who had attacked officers.
Nevertheless, despite the supposed existence of video evidence, Shlomit Bakshi, a Judea and Samaria police spokeswoman, said Monday no additional arrests have been made. “The investigation is ongoing,” she added.
Yesh Atid MK Mickey Levy, a former Jerusalem District police chief, criticized the force as being hesitant in making arrests and issuing indictments.
“We all saw the blatant violence by dozens of teenagers against policemen in the synagogue evacuation in Amona,” Levy said in a statement provided to The Jerusalem Post. “If they have not yet been indicted, it is outrageous. It is impossible that extraneous considerations would lead to a situation where police are attacked and the attackers are not put on trial.”
During the evacuation, which began February 1 and continued into the afternoon of February 2, violent clashes between some of the activists and security personnel left 24 police officers lightly injured by thrown stones and glass bottles. In two cases, an unidentified liquid was thrown at officers’ eyes.
The removal of some 100 protesters from the Amona synagogue and the road to the outpost marked the end of the two-day operation by the Israel Police and Border Police to evacuate the community of 40 families.
Thirteen protesters were arrested during