Bet El
Bet ElIsrael news photo: INN

Police arrested five demonstrators Saturday night during a protest near the community of Bet El in the Binyamin region.

The residents, who received prior approval for the demonstration, were protesting against the continued rock-throwing attacks carried out by residents of a nearby Arab village. 

The protesters called on the IDF to "defeat the rock terrorism" and act firmly against Arab rioters.

Police officers who arrested the protesters claimed that some of them threw stones at Route 60 during the rally and attacked police officers; however, the detainees claim the police exerted extreme violence against them.

In recent days, the Bet El community has been faced with repeated attempts of breaking the peace by the Arabs from the nearby town of Jilazun who throw stones at Jewish homes adjacent to the village. 

In one incident, a local resident was hit by a stone thrown by Arab youths who approached the security fence, and suffered light injuries. 

The IDF is aware of these incidents and routinely tries to deal with them. Israeli Defense Forces fire tear gas canisters at attackers in an attempt to control the riots, but they are often times thrown back at the Jewish homes, harming the residents.