Friday, March 23, 2018, 13:21 On the morning of Friday, March 23, approximately 15 left-wing activists and Arabs, led by Arik Ascherman, arrived adjacent to the fence of Mevo’ot Yeriho in the Jordan Valley, caused disturbances and assaulted residents. Two activists were detained by the police.
A Mevo’ot Yeriho resident out for a run in the morning was blocked by the activists,
Photo (snapshot from video clip): Rabbi Meshulami assaulted; Video credit: Mevo’ot Yericho
knocked to the ground and suffered an injury from the assault. The anarchists also assaulted R. Yehoshu’a Meshulami, a 70-year old rabbi, when he arrived at the scene. Early in the week, in a recorded incident, Rabbi Meshulami was assaulted by an activist, who was subsequently detained by the police and distanced from the area.
On Friday, following the assault, the police detained Ascherman and an additional activist, who were taken to the Shomron Police Station for interrogation. The police also detained for interrogation one Mevo’ot Yeriho resident, who, with the assistance of Honenu Attorney Yehuda Shimon, filed a complaint against the anarchists.
Mevo’ot Yericho residents stated that recently members of left-wing organizations, together with Arabs, some of them activists in the Ta’ayush organization, have started to come to the area every day. The activists arrive at Mevo’ot Yeriho with flocks of sheep and goats in order to disrupt the residents’ lives and and assault them.
Honenu Attorney Yehuda Shimon, who is providing the Mevo’ot Yeriho residents with legal counsel, stated that, “The anarchist activists arrive on a regular basis to hassle the residents. One of the activists, who was distanced from the area a few days ago, already posted on Facebook that he intends to return soon to the site to ‘give a good time’ to the residents. We demand that the Israeli Police use a firm hand against those who cause disturbances. We also intend to file civil suits against the left-wing activists.”
The “Ad Kan” organization, whose members have been documenting the goings on in the Ta’ayush organization for a long period of time, stated that, “This is an undisciplined and dangerous group of people. In the past we proved that [their actions] lead to the murder of Palestinians who sell land to Jews. Currently it turns out that they also assault Israelis. The powerlessness demonstrated by the Israeli Police is difficult to understand and unacceptable.”