Civil Administration inspectors, barred from entrance to Kiryat Arba, Har Gilo, Yakir, Revava and Karnei Shomron on Tuesday came back with security forces on Wednesday to force entry into Jewish communities in Yesha.
In quiet Beit Aryeh, located just 20 minutes from Ben Gurion airport, residents clashed with Civil Administration inspectors arriving to enforce construction freeze and their mayor, Avi Naim was arrested on suspicion of disrupting police officer's work. Complaining of heart palpitations, Naim was evacuated to Tel HaShomer hospital. His security officer, Bnayahu Sharabi, was injured by security forces and rumored to have had his leg broken.
Beit Aryeh residents present during the action expressed surprise at the behavior of the security forces saying that theirs is a quiet, law abiding, veteran community with no unauthorized building ever having been done in their decades long history.
Elon Moreh resident and former Shomron mayor, Benny Katsover, said that while the residents were well organized, they participated in passive disobedience near the gate but were beaten by the police forces anyway/
"They evacuated the people, threw them out and entered the community. There is a construction site here, but they didn't go there. Instead, they gave the order to a person building two guesthouses and left," he said, vowing to continue the protest activity in the coming days.
Security forces ran out of Elon Moreh to chase protestors who began marching toward the nearby Arab town of Nablus in protest.
Speaking fromTel Hashomer Hospital, where he was hospitalized, Beit Aryeh Mayor Naim slammed the security forces who arrested him.
"It was a real life-threatening danger," he accused. "The soldiers came with a purpose, their plan was to arrest the council head as a lesson for all to see. After failing yesterday, they arrived with reinforced forces – dozens of Border Guard and police officers.
"I didn't do anything and they just threw me into a jeep. They treated me like a criminal, when all I did was to come and talk to them," the council head continued. "The worst thing was that when I was in the ambulance and the paramedics wanted to transfer me to the hospital quickly, the police delayed me… Only when I got the council's legal advisor involved they agreed to evacuate me. It was a real life-threatening situation."
"It was a massive assault, I don’t understand why," Beit Aryeh's injured security guard said. "They attacked the council head and I arrived to tell them to stop, tried to talk to them without provoking them, but they shoved me. I fell on the floor, I cried for help, but none of the cops tried to help me. I was unconscious for a few seconds."
Sharabi sounded shocked. "I work with these guys on a daily basis, but this time they acted like animals. The only explanation I can find is that they received an instruction of 'at any cost.' There was a major there, wearing uniform, who ordered them to act brutally and incited them."
The Yesha Council issued a statement supporting Naim, adding that "the Yesha Council leaders and the regional council heads will continue to lead the struggle against the settlement freeze, will continue to build the land and are willing to pay the price involved in this."
In Shilo, a Jewish community located a bit south of the disturbances today, residents were heard to say that they, too, are on the lookout for Civil Administration inspectors. They pointed out that while they are law abiding citizens, they have the right to not let inspectors enter their private property. Veteran resident, Yona, said that illegality is what the government engaged in by expelling Jews from their homes in Gush Katif.
Civil Administration inspectors began distributing construction freeze orders about 5 minutes after Netanyahu's cabinet agreed to the 10-month building freeze in Yesha. Rarely has such joyous efficiency been exhibited by a government office. It is the pleasure and speed with which the Draconian measures are being enforced that adds insult to injury. Although PM Benjamin Netanyahu stressed Tuesday that the construction freeze in the settlements was "temporary" and that he will " go back to building at the end of the freeze.", that is little solace for his voters who know that there was no building going on before the recent edict - only the promise of building which was the platform upon which Netanyahu was elected.
Benny Begin, Boogie Yalon, Uzi Landau, Avigdor Lieberman remain mysteriously silent.
photo by Avi Tsur
