Rabbi Ohad Krakover, chief rabbi of the town Kokhav Hashahar in Samaria, told Arutz Sheva on Thursday evening that the Israeli Security Agency (ISA) has been holding a central figure in the town in an unknown location, as part of its investigation of the lethal Duma arson.
The rabbi together with the town's leadership issued a stern letter Wednesday condemning how the basic rights of the Jewish youths being held as suspects are being breached - they have been refused basic religious rights such as lighting Hanukkah candles, been banned from seeing their lawyers, and several have been denied medical treatment after being beaten during arrest.
Describing the detainee from Kokhav Hashahar within the constraints of a media gag order, Rabbi Krakover told Arutz Sheva he is "a man of education, a worker of the (regional) council who they arrested on his way to reserve army duty."
"He is being held in humiliating conditions like the worst criminal, they aren't letting him pray, put on tefillin (phylacteries), or light Hanukkah candles. It's shocking, they took a righteous man and turned him into an arch-terrorist," he said, echoing arguments that the suspects are being treated worse than Arab terrorists.
Rabbi Krakover said he is convinced that the detained man has no information or connection to the lethal arson attack in July, a statement backed by the words of Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan (Likud) who last Friday admitted there is no evidence to try the suspects.
"Everyone knows he works all the time in cooperation with the establishment and the police," said the rabbi of the suspect. "He and I worked together before his arrest to prepare an educational program for youths so that they not be dragged into the social margins. A man like that who helps the youth (not turn to crime - ed.) - to turn him into a criminal himself?"
"Investigators know he isn't connected"
The rabbi revealed the the investigators know the man isn't connected, but still refuse to let him go.
"If he knew something, he would have reported. The investigation commander told me next to the gates of the jail that they know that he isn't connected to the event, but he isn't completely cooperating."
"Do you arrest a married man with four children for something like that? I'm tearing up, it's frightening. It creates a crisis for our confidence in the security forces, how can you take a man like this who was a recipient of the Presidential Award of Excellence (for IDF soldiers - ed.), and put him in the dungeon for two weeks?"
Rabbi Krakover warned that the leadership of Kokhav Hashahar will not remain silent, so long as the man is not returned home.
"The family is left alone for Hanukkah, I went to them yesterday for the candle lighting, it's a Kafkaesque story," he lamented. "The wife doesn't know what to do; we will launch a public struggle, we will hold a strike in front of the government ministries."
"It's frightening that they arrest an honest man like this and turn him into an arch-terrorist. He has no information, everything he knows he tells the establishment."