Wednesday, September 29, 2021, 19:57 At approximately six in the morning on Wednesday, September 29, large numbers of border police, IDF, and Yassam forces began removing a structure from an outpost near Yitzhar. By late morning, two minors approximately 14 and 16 years of age were detained on suspicion of violating a closed military zone order. Honenu Attorney Nati Rom assisted the detainees.
Local residents who came to protest the removal reported brutality on the part of the security forces. A border policeman was filmed hitting a protester with his weapon, and at least three protesters were injured by the security forces.
Border policeman beating protester; Video credit: Yedidya Grossman
The dozens of local residents who came to protest the removal surrounded the structure, and a youth, who is a minor, barricaded himself by attaching himself with a special device to the structure. Security forces used break-in tools to detach the youth from the device. He was then detained and taken to the Ariel Police Station. Honenu Attorney Nati Rom, who is assisting the youth, reported that they injured him.
Rom met with him at the police station, provided him with legal counsel, and demanded that he receive medical treatment. Rom: “After many hours the detained minor arrived at the police station. Unfortunately, I met a bruised youth with a leg injury who stated that he was told that because of what he had done, they would injure him. He has wounds on his leg, I demanded that he see a doctor, and I hope that in the next few minutes he will be allowed to see a doctor. Please note that because he is a permanent resident of the site, the closed military zone order does not apply to him, and also was not presented to him – not to him and not to his attorney. Therefore there are absolutely no grounds for his detention. We hope very much that he will be released soon.”
The two additional youths who were detained at the protest were conditionally released at the police station. The conditions include an order distancing them from the area of the outpost.