Last Sunday, the Shin Bet arrested an IDF soldier on suspicion of committing a nationalist crime.
In an unusual move, the Shin Bet has prevented the soldier from meeting a lawyer for over 48 hours. The soldier is suspected of attacking an Arab along with several others in the city of Hadera in an incident that occurred about a month ago. Following the incident, two more people were arrested.
The Hadera Magistrate's Court has extended the soldier's detention until next week.
Attorney Assaf Gonen from the Honenu legal organization, which represents the soldier, submitted urgent appeals to the district court in Haifa against the unusual order which prevents the soldier from seeing a lawyer as well as against the extension of the soldier's detention. At the request of the Shin Bet and the police, the court issued a gag order on the details of the investigation.
The soldier's family is very worried about his condition, and said that "it is a disgrace that a soldier is treated this way in the State of Israel."
Attorney Gonen said: "We strongly regret that the Israel Police and Shin Bet choose to take a soldier on regular duty and prevent him from meeting with a lawyer in a relatively minor case, over a single incident that allegedly occurred over a month ago. It is still not clear what the nature of the event is and I am sure that the truth will come out. We will do everything we can in order to preserve all the soldier's rights."