Two additional Itamar rapid response squad detainees

Sunday, January 25, 2015, 18:52 On Tuesday, January 20, policemen from the Department of Nationalist Crime in the Central Unit of the Yehuda and Shomron Police detained a member of Itamar’s rapid response squad and a member of the rapid response squad of the Rekhes HaGidonim hilltop community adjacent to Itamar on suspicion of involvement with an incident on Saturday, January 3, during which Arab rioters suspected of attacking IDF forces were injured. Two additional Rekhes HaGidonim rapid response squad members were summoned for interrogation by the Department of Nationalist Crime in the Central Unit of the Yehuda and Shomron Police on suspicion of involvement in the above-mentioned incident in which two rioting Arabs were injured. When they reported for interrogation on Sunday, January 25 they were detained. The police interrogators informed them that they would be brought to a deliberation the following morning at the Petah Tikva Magistrate Court, where they would be represented by Honenu.
The rapid response squad members detained on January 20 on suspicion of injuring the Arab rioters gave testimony that they had shot into the air in order to extricate a soldier in an army Hummer who was being attacked by dozens of rioting Arabs. Despite a police demand for a four-day remand extension, after Honenu attorney Adi Kedar filed appeals with the Lod District Court and the Israeli Supreme Court the detainees were released after being held in remand for two days.
On the evening of Sunday, January 25, Honenu responded to the detentions: “The Yehuda and Shomron District interrogators have not learned from experience and continue to harass security forces. During the past few days we have been witness to scandalous norms of behavior by the Yehuda and Shomron District Police, from the District Commander who was forced to retire due to an embarrassing issue, to the detention of rapid response squad members [as they fulfilled their duties], a brutal beating of a security guard guarding a Jewish community and the operation of undercover policemen disguised as Arabs in order to incriminate civilians and security forces. We demand that the district do a thorough house cleaning and stop the trend of harassing Jewish residents.”