The IDF reservist who was detained on Tuesday night by Palestinian Authority security forces on the Beitunia bypass road in western Binyaminu recounted the ordeal from the moment he encountered the roadblock to the point when he was taken handcuffed into Ramallah. He claimed that during the detention, he fought with PA officers who attempted to seize his weapon, sprayed him with pepper spray, and beat him.
According to the reservist, at approximately 10:00 p.m. he left the community of Dolev toward Route 443, driving on a road that passes through Area C, adjacent to Area B. Upon reaching the Beitunia Junction, he saw a roadblock, which he initially assumed was operated by the Israeli police.
"They pulled me over and opened the door," he recounted. Only then did he realize that they were Palestinian Authority security officers, and at a certain point, additional forces, some of whom were armed, arrived.
The reservist shared that he was holding his weapon during the encounter while the officers attempted to take it from him. He said that at a certain point, "they all jumped on me at once," spraying pepper spray in his face, and attempting to grab his weapon out of his hands.
The reservist claims that during the fight, he was beaten and kicked, and the officers finally managed to seize his weapon after he removed the ammunition clip from it. After that, he recounted, they forcefully removed him from his vehicle and put him in a PA police car.
From there, a long ride through Ramallah began, with him handcuffed in the police car. "A half-hour drive until we got to some place," he recounted, describing the drive through the Arab city's roads and alleyways.
At a certain stage, he was allowed to speak to an Israeli official and report on his condition. He was later tranfered to the Israeli side, and was taken to a police station, where he testified about the event.
The reservist said that since the incident, he has been suffering from pain and burns from the beatings and pepper spray. He criticized the very presence of Palestinian Authority forces at the location: "It's crazy that Palestinian officers are in Area C."
He subsequently appealed, through the Crime Victims Department at the Honenu organization, to Defense Minister Israel Katz and Central Command Major General Avi Bluth, demanding that the Palestinian Authority security forces who attacked and detained him be arrested.
In the letter, attorney Chaim Bleicher stressed that beyond the harm caused to the reservist, the incident constituted an infringement on the sovereignty of the IDF and Israeli security forces. He called for action to prevent armed enemy forces from entering areas under IDF control.
“This is an extremely serious incident in which armed Palestinian police officers entered Area C in violation of the law, endangered regional security, assaulted and abducted an Israeli citizen. This constitutes a serious and dangerous attack both on the individual soldier and on the sovereignty of the IDF and the security forces. On behalf of the crime victim, we call for the Palestinians who attacked and beat him to be arrested as soon as possible.
“We also request that every available measure be taken to prevent such incidents from recurring, including securing the route and opening it to unrestricted Jewish traffic. This should be accompanied by IDF action to prevent armed enemy forces from entering territory under IDF responsibility," the letter stated.
The Binyamin Regional Council strongly protested a statement by the Civil Administration, which, according to the council, pointed an accusing finger at the resident, claiming that he had traveled through a dangerous area, rather than addressing the prohibited activity of PA police in Area C.
"It is inconceivable that [Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud] Abbas' police officers can operate in Area C in violation of the agreements, detain an IDF reservist and take his weapon, while the State of Israel instead blames the Israeli who was traveling on the road," Binyamin Regional Council head and Yesha Council chairman Israel Ganz stated.
"The time has come to recognize reality, cancel the Oslo Accords, and allow settlement and free movement in the open areas throughout Binyamin, Judea and Samaria. At the same time, I call on decision-makers to act immediately to open a safe and secure route between the Dolev-Talmonim bloc and Highway 443."