Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Settlements and National Missions Minister Orit Strock today (Sunday) sent an urgent letter to the Head of the National Security Council, Tzachi Hanegbi, demanding that the political-security cabinet be convened as soon as possible to discuss the conduct of the Shin Bet towards Jews in Judea and Samaria who are suspected of alleged property offenses without causing casualties.
In their letter, which was sent in the wake of the revelation of the recordings between Commander of the Judea and Samaria Division of the Jewish office of the Shin Bet, in which he used derogatory epithets when discussing Jews of Judea and Samaria, including IDF soldiers, also saying that they should be arrested even if there is no evidence pointing to them, the ministers emphasized that they strongly condemn any manifestation of violence against Arabs or their property. At the same time, they expressed deep concern about the repeated – and disproportionate – use of draconian tools by the Shin Bet, such as preventing a meeting with a lawyer and arbitrary detention, against regular citizens, some of whom are serving in the IDF reserves.
According to them, some of the detainees were released after it was found that the suspicions against them were baseless.
"Who will compensate them and their young children for the injustice inflicted on them?" the ministers wrote, warning against a serious disregard for the dignity and rights of citizens in the name of investigations that do not justify such measures.