Demolition in Samaria (illustration)
Demolition in Samaria (illustration)Flash 90

An IDF soldier from the community of Adei Ad in Samaria was arrested on Tuesday morning during demolitions at the town, and later unconditionally released, in what a legal aid group calls proof that it was a false arrest.

The legal aid organization Honenu reports that the arrest came during the demolitions by the IDF Civil Administration, which targeted the Geulat Tzion community near Shiloh not far from Adei Ad, as well as Yishuv Hada'at. In Adei Ad, the forces met resistance by residents who blocked their path to the town.

Border Patrol officers arrested the soldier, who is in his mandatory service, during the clashes between the officers and the protesting residents.

According to eye-witnesses, violence was used against the soldier during his arrest, and several of the officers who were active at the site did not have any identifying tags on.

Several hours after being taken for investigation at the police station in Sha'ar Binyamin, the soldier was released unconditionally.

"The unconditional release of the soldier proves that this was a false arrest that didn't have to occur to begin with," said Honenu in response to the incident.

"We condemn the violence used towards him and towards other residents by Border Patrol officers, several of whom were without identification tags, and we hope that the soldier who was arrested will be compensated accordingly," concluded Honenu.

In response to the demolitions, Eli Yishai's Yachad - Ha'am Itanu party sharply condemned the action, with members vowing to demand the implementation of the 2012 Levy Report, stopping the "draconian" enforcement against Jews and recognizing the legality of the Jewish presence in the region.