A Kfar Saba court harshly criticized police tactics in Thursday’s raid on the Meoz Esther outpost in Samaria and freed five activists who were arrested for violence. The police disguised themselves as Arabs, a “provocative” action that incited the residents into stoning them, Magistrates Court Judge David Gadol ruled.
A sixth defendant was released shortly after being arrested on Thursday.
The judge also ordered that the defendants remain under house arrest and prohibited them from returning to the community, located near Kokhav HaShachar.
He agreed with the defendants' attorney’s argument that the police tactics were even more provocative in light of the murder of two policemen by Arab terrorists in the nearby Jordan Valley two weeks ago.
“The police put their lives in danger once again,” Judge Keidar stated, rejecting police officials' arguments that that the officers had taken into account the danger of being targeted for driving in a car with Arab license plates and dressing up as Arabs. The car stopped at the community's gate, prompting the Jewish residents to fear they were planning a terrorist attack.
The raid on Thursday came a day after the Labor party ratified a coalition agreement that keeps Defense Minister Ehud Barak in his post.