Was the incident staged?

Tuesday, January 17, 2017, 13:27 Following the detention on Monday, January 16, of six Jewish youths on suspicion of assaulting Arabs who approached Geulat Tzion, Honenu is of the opinion that it is extremely likely that the Arabs were accompanied by either undercover policemen or soldiers disguised as Arabs, and that the police, with the cooperation of Arabs, staged a provocation. Two of the youths were released after interrogation and four were held overnight in remand.
In a deliberation which took place at the Jerusalem Magistrate Court on Tuesday, January 17, the police representative refused to give any specific information about the incident. He refused to tell Honenu Attorney Adi Keidar, who represented the four detainees, three of whom are minors, whether or not the incident had involved security forces disguised as Arabs in an attempt to annoy the residents and provoke them into driving the “Arabs” away.
During the deliberation Keidar claimed that following the recent court decisions ruling that staying in Geulat Tzion is permitted, the police decided to stage incidents in order to provoke the residents into clashes, thereby bringing about their detention and eventually their removal from the area.
According to the details known to Honenu, on the morning of Monday, January 16, six youths were detained after a clash broke out near the Geulat Tzion outpost in the Shilo Bloc. Two of the youths were released after interrogation by the Central Unit of Yehuda and Shomron Police. The police claim that the other four, and others, assaulted Arab growers who came to the area between the outpost and the Arab village of Turmus Aya, accompanied by police forces. It is not yet known if they include undercover policemen or soldiers disguised as Arabs. The police demanded that the detainees’ remand be extended by four days. The court extended their remand by only one day. Honenu would like to call to our readers’ attention that the courts and the public have in the past severely criticized the use of soldiers disguised as Arabs in order provoke reactions from Jews. The Yehuda and Shomron Police have staged such incidents in Havat Gilad, Susiya, Havat Har Sinai, Givat Ronen, Bat Ayin, Kochav HaShahar, Adei Ad, and elsewhere in the Shilo Bloc region.