At least five people were arrested on Tuesday night during a violent police raid on the Samaria outpost of Givat Ronen (Ronen Hill).
The raid occurred just before midnight when plainclothes police detectives arrived at the outpost wanting to arrest a reserves officer who lived there.
The residents demanded that the detectives show them badges and in response, the detectives alerted Yasam (Special Patrol Unit) forces who mercilessly beat residents and entered their homes through the windows.
Givat Ronen residents told Arutz Sheva’s Hebrew site that the police detective vehicle was damaged by residents who were protesting the violence used by police during the raid. The police forces subsequently threw stun grenades, broke into houses and arrested five men. Three residents were injured during the violence.
The reason for the arrests remains unclear, but according to residents, the police used tear gas. “It looked like a battleground,” said one of them.
Last July, dozens of special Yassam and Border Guard policemen, accompanied by Civil Administration personnel, swooped down on Givat Ronen and demolished a large house as well as a goat pen and a caravan. Four Jews were injured during the violent raid, including one in serious condition.
A month ago police raided the Samaria outpost of Havat Gilad (Gilad Farm) in order to demolish an “illegal” home. The forces wounded 15 of the outpost’s residents when they used plastic bullets during the raid.
MK Dr. Michael Ben-Ari (National Union) responded to the violence used by police in Givat Ronen on Tuesday and said: “The police conduct in Givat Ronen is reminiscent of the days of dark regimes. [Internal Security Minister] Aharonovitch must remember that he is not Qaddafi and that any regime which exercises violent behavior towards its citizens – its days are numbered.”