Wednesday, June 22, 2022, 16:51 Today (Wednesday), Honenu director Shmuel (Zangi) Meidad, leveled criticism at the IDF and the police and called on them to apprehend the Arab rioters who attacked a group of Jewish children just outside of the fence of Ariel yesterday. A video clip of the incident has been shared on social media and therefore the rioters can be identified and located easily.
Meidad: “It is unacceptable that a group of children is attacked near the city of Ariel, the assailants were documented, holding clubs, in a video clip shared on social media, and they are still walking free. The children were saved by a miracle. Dozens of Arab attackers arrived with clubs, axes, and other tools of destruction. They threatened the children and attacked them. However, by a miracle, they succeeded in escaping. The police and the IDF must apprehend the Arab assailants as soon as possible. I call on the police to get to all of the attackers already today. We have experienced enough antisemitism and terror. We must not reconcile ourselves to it.”
One of the Arab rioters, Ali Hasan Harb, met his death during the rioting. The circumstances of his death are unknown as of this posting. Harb is a resident of Iskaka and is a relative of Rabia Harb and Awad Harb, terrorists who were killed by the IDF, the latter of the two during Operation Guardian of the Walls. Hamas publicized a poster mourning the death of Ali Hasan Harb and claiming him as one of their members.
An adult who defended the group of attacked children went to the Ariel Police Station to file a complaint against the assailants and to give testimony about the incident. To his shock, he was detained and forbidden to meet with an attorney.
Honenu Attorney Adi Keidar sharply criticized the police for the detention: “The detainee came to the police station to give testimony and file a complaint about the serious incident that occurred yesterday. To the best of our understanding, the children were saved only by a miracle. Arabs attacked Jews, and this is only the most recent incident of attacks that have been ongoing for several months. I think that the authorities, and at their head, the GSS and the police, have lost their senses. Instead of ensuring the security of Jewish citizens who have been abandoned, they detained a man who, to the best of our understanding, is innocent of all wrongdoing and defended 20 children. We very much hope that the court cancels the order preventing a meeting with an attorney and releases the detainee from remand,” added Keidar.
The detainee is a married Ariel resident in his 40s, he has three children, he served in the Navy, and he does not have a criminal record.