Honenu Attorney Nati Rom; Photo credit: Honenu
Tuesday, January 11, 2022, 8:40 All of the protesters detained at the destruction of houses in Oz Tzion, a hilltop community of two families and a group of unmarried men in the Binyamin region, on Monday, January 10 have been released from remand. Out of the six detainees, five were unconditionally released, and the other was released under restrictive conditions. He will remain at home for several days. The detainees were interrogated at the Central Unit of Yehuda and Shomron Police Station, where they were assisted by Honenu Attorney Nati Rom.
Rom: “The detainees reported police brutality and some of them have bruises. They were held for many hours outside, without food. They were not presented with a warrant prohibiting their presence at the site until their interrogation. I am pleased that the Israel Police understood that there were no grounds for their detention and released them after interrogation.”
On Monday, police arrived at Oz Tzion with demolition equipment and destroyed all of the structures – houses, a synagogue, and a study hall – at the site. During the destruction, two residents chained themselves to the floor, which caused a delay of approximately eight hours. One of the detainees was brutally detained by policemen, who also threatened him with a taser gun, although he was not resisting detention.
The residents of Oz Tzion sharply criticized the destruction: “Naftali Bennett, Ayalet Shaked, and Nir Orbach are responsible for sending the destruction forces this morning [Monday], as part of the trend that the government is leading with the goal of establishing a Palestinian state. Surrounding us, hundreds of illegally constructed Arab houses are scattered, but Bennett and Shaked choose to destroy Jewish houses. There is a genuine war in Yehuda and Shomron now. We do not intend to give up. We will continue to fight for the future of the Land of Israel.”