Wednesday, June 19, 2019, 13:33 Amit Oren, a resident of Givat Ronen in the Shomron,
Arson, Givat Ronen; Photo credit: Or Eliyahu
was surprised to discover that the investigation into the arson incident which damaged his apple orchard was closed only several days after he filed a complaint, without any mention to him of the grounds for closing the case or any other information. Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher, who is assisting Oren, filed an appeal with the Department of Investigations and Intelligence of the Shomron Police demanding that the investigation be re-opened and also demanding to examine the investigative file.
The arson occurred in May 2019, on a Friday afternoon. Agricultural land adjacent to Givat Ronen was set on fire several times and the most serious blaze reached the Oren family’s agricultural land, burning the apple orchard. Many teams participated in extinguishing the blaze.
As a result of the fire and the efforts to extinguish it, damage was caused to approximately 25 apple trees, the irrigation system and the orchard fences. Amit Oren complained to the policemen who were on the scene about the arson, and several days later filed an official complaint.
Oren attached to the complaint photographs of Arabs who were in the area at the time of the arson, who are suspected of involvement with the crime. Following the arson incident the B’Tselem organization publicized a video clip which shows Oren’s son supposedly setting fire to the orchard. He denies all charges.
Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher filed an appeal with the Department of Investigations and Intelligence of the Shomron Police against closing the case. “Most strangely my client was informed by way of the information system for victims of crime that the case had been closed, without informing him of the grounds for its closing. Because of the serious concern that incidents of arson will reoccur, I would like to urgently file an appeal on the case with you.”
Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher, who is representing Amit Oren, stated that, We were shocked to discover that the investigative case had been closed several days after the complaint about the arson. We expect serious treatment of Islamic arson terror and its eradication, no less than the treatment by the police of suspected retaliatory acts attributed to Israelis.