Arab rioting in Lod; Photo credit: Yossi Aloni/Flash90
Thursday, May 13, 2021, 14:14 Honenu has assisted 114 Jews who were detained last night throughout Israel: Acco, Ramleh, Lod, Jerusalem and additional locations. Most of them were released within a few hours. Honenu attorneys stated that the detentions were false and baseless. See here for more posts about Arab rioting and Jewish detainees.
In Ramleh, 46 Jews were detained, starting in the early evening hours. All of the detainees, some of whom spent the night in remand, were conditionally released by late morning the following day. Some of them are under orders distancing them from Ramleh and others are under house arrest.
Honenu Attorney Amir Bracha, who represented half of the detainees, described the situation: “It is insane that in 2021, walking on the street to express a Jewish presence and support for residents of a Jewish city in the center of Israel and distributing pizza and drinks to policemen, results in detention and interrogation by the police. We demand that those responsible come to their senses and target the culprits, not the law-abiding citizens without a criminal records who came to express their support for the security forces and for the residents of Ramleh.”
Honenu Attorney Aviad Lantzner, who represented the remaining half of the detainees in Lod, added: “I had never seen such a failure. One of the detainees described how he approached policemen to ask where to catch a bus leaving the city and heard over the police radio an order ‘to detain anyone whom you see’, and was detained. There were 46 detainees, and not one of them had committed a crime!”
In Lod, 42 Jews were detained, most of whom were released throughout the night. The others were brought to deliberations over possible remand extensions. Honenu Attorney Nati Rom assisted them and said: “The Israel Police have lost control and are detaining hardly any of the Arab rioters who are shooting live rounds at civilians and policemen, but insisting on falsely detaining the heroes who have come to defend the residents and their property, at their request.”
Honenu also assisted three protesters who were detained in Beit El – they have been released – and two Jews who were detained while protecting an isolated Jewish house in the heart of the Shimon HaTzadik neighborhood in Jerusalem. Honenu Attorney Rehavia Piltz, who assisted the detainees, said: “Arab rioters launched fireworks at the house in an attempt to set it on fire with the residents inside. The residents called the police, who came only at the end of the incident and detained the Jews who had come to protect the house. This is a black stain on the police, who did not secure the house, and on the court, which extended their remand.”
In Jerusalem, Honenu Attorney Moshe Poleski represented approximately 20 Jews who were detained. Most of them have been released and one of them has been brought to a deliberation for a possible remand extension. Additionally, Poleski assisted a detainee in Bat Yam and one in Hevron.
Honenu Attorney Avraham Sofer assisted two detainees in Acco, one has been released on condition of a distancing order, and the other has been brought to a deliberation for a possible remand extension.