GSS applied inappropriate pressure on Itamar resident in order to incriminate one of the Yitzhar detainees

Posted on August 12, 2011 by

GSS reaches an unprecedented low in Yitzhar residents interrogation
Thursday, August 11 18:52 Yesterday at 6:30 A.M. policemen from the Ariel police arrived at the home of Itamar resident Daniel Ben-Avraham. The policemen brought Ben-Avraham a summons “for a discussion at the GSS facility in Petah Tikva”, in the morning.
Ben-Avraham turned to the legal headquarters of Honenu and received a legal briefing prior to his strange discussion.
This morning (Thursday) Ben-Avraham arrived at the GSS facility in Petah Tikva where two youths from Yitzhar under investigation on suspicion of setting on fire Arab vehicles after the murder of five members of the Fogel family, hy”d, from Itamar have been held since Sunday.
GSS interrogators brought Ben-Avraham into the interrogation room and asked him why, in his opinion, he was summoned for a discussion. Ben-Avraham replied that he had no idea what the GSS wanted from him.
A GSS interrogator known as “Ayal” reminded him of an incident that occurred several months ago in the community of Yitzhar, in which Ben-Avraham grew up. Ben-Avraham discovered one evening that one of his tires was punctured for an unclear reason.
The GSS interrogator asked Ben-Avraham to recreate the events of that event and asked him if he knew how the tire was punctured. Ben-Avraham replied that he did not know what happened to the tire, and in response the interrogator asked him if it could have been a man by the name of Calev Blanc, who has been held in remand since Sunday, who punctured the tire. Ben-Avraham replied that it doesn’t appear to him that Blanc, with whom he is only slightly acquainted, would have done such a thing. The GSS interrogator and the interrogator from the Central Unit of the Yehuda and Shomron police showed Ben-Avraham photographs of Blanc and hinted to him over and over again that it would be worthwhile to say that he was the one who punctured the tire.
During the discussion the GSS interrogator asked Ben-Avraham why he hadn’t served in the army. Ben-Avraham replied that he would be happy to serve in the IDF, however the army refused to enlist him due to criminal cases opened against him. The interrogator replied that they could help him and that he would phone the man who could help him enlist in the IDF.
According to sources close to Ben-Avraham during the discussion the GSS interrogators hinted in a particularly blunt manner that if Ben-Avraham incriminated Blanc then the interrogators would help him enlist in IDF, and with other matters.
After an extended discussion the interrogator from the Central Unit of the Yehuda and Shomron police compiled an organized testimony of the events that occurred on the evening that Ben-Avraham’s vehicle was damaged. Afterwards “Ayal” requested that Ben-Avraham remain until the man who could, according to him, help him enlist in the IDF arrived. Ben-Avraham refused and said that he was in a hurry to get to work. After several attempts of persuading him to remain, the GSS interrogators released Ben-Avraham, not before they assured him that they would remain in contact with him.
Sources close to the detainees responded to the incident and said that, “The GSS again and again reaches a new unprecedented low. They are trying to incriminate an innocent man through inappropriate pressure on another man and by promising to help him enlist in the IDF. This is an unequaled scandal. The conduct of the GSS in this case only proves that there is no evidence linking the detainees to the incident. This is a case of an attempt to frame innocent people.”
In a related issue, this afternoon Honenu attorney Yossi Lin, who is representing the two detainees, visited them. Lin reported that the two are being held in harsh conditions but are continuing to maintain their silence during GSS interrogations. The minor in remand told Lin that a GSS interrogator grabbed his hand forcibly during one of the interrogations and shook it in a manner that seemed as if they had closed a deal, apparently in order to break the resolve of the other detainee.
Tomorrow the two will be brought to a deliberation at the Petah Tikva Magistrate Court. It is still not know whether or not the GSS will request an extension on their remand.
We remind here that in the case of Chaim Perlman, who was remanded in the GSS basement approximately one year ago, a childhood friend of his was arrested and GSS interrogators attempted to extort an admission that Perlman had exploded a stun grenade on the holiday of Purim 15 years previously.

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