The dismantling of a neighborhood in Adei Ad has been put on indefinite hold, but the police have taken a form of revenge: one resident has been banned from setting foot in Yesha (Judea and Samaria) until the end of the legal proceedings against him. He is charged with insulting a policeman.
The story began in October 1998, when Adei Ad was founded as a new community just east of Shilo and Shvut Rachel. Seventeen families currently live there, but five of the newer caravans in northernmost Adei Ad were recently termed an "illegal outpost" by the government - and the police moved in two weeks ago to dismantle them. A clash with the residents and many supporters ensued, but literally at the last minute, a court injunction was issued, postponing the evacuation. A week ago, the Supreme Court determined that the neighborhood was legal and must not be dismantled.
Two days ago, the police tried to prevent the residents from bringing a pre-fab home to the site. Seven people were detained, and two were arrested on charges of attacking and insulting policemen and violating an order not to bring caravans into Yesha. Their pre-trial was held today, and one of the two - Mordy Har'el - was released. The other, however, who lives and owns a bakery in Adei Ad, received the severe punishment of being banned from entering Judea and Samaria until the end of the legal proceedings against him.
Har'el, who is the general secretary of the three Shilo-area hilltop communities of Adei Ad, Achiyah, and Givat Har'el, told Arutz-7 this morning:
"I was accused of kicking a soldier, but this was found not to be true, and therefore the judge ruled that I can return to my home. On the other hand, the police illegally burst into my home, causing damages, for which we will file a separate suit. My friend, on the other hand, is not allowed to return home, despite the fact that he is not even charged with physical assault. It should be noted that at the time of the incident, the police took his baby from his arms, with the suggestion that they hold her - and this caused him great anxiety and fear that the baby would be endangered, leading him to scream certain things at the police - which of course does not justify such a severe punishment." He said that an appeal against the ruling would be filed as early as today by Atty. Naftali Wurtzberger.
"Usually, insulting a public servant does not lead to an arrest," Har'el said, "but the judge added some political considerations to his ruling. He said that there are about to be many outpost dismantlings, and that this incident is related to that government decision - even though this is totally not true, as this incident was connected with a specific building and had nothing to do with the aborted dismantling of two weeks ago. By the way, the structure is totally legal, it's in its place, and a family is already living there. We simply continue to do our job: build up the area, bring in new families, and develop the Land of Israel."
Har'el noted that the judge said that the "ideological motivation" of the residents makes them particularly dangerous, and that this could be compared to the "ideological motivation" of the Arabs in their intifada.
Two days ago, the police tried to prevent the residents from bringing a pre-fab home to the site. Seven people were detained, and two were arrested on charges of attacking and insulting policemen and violating an order not to bring caravans into Yesha. Their pre-trial was held today, and one of the two - Mordy Har'el - was released. The other, however, who lives and owns a bakery in Adei Ad, received the severe punishment of being banned from entering Judea and Samaria until the end of the legal proceedings against him.
Har'el, who is the general secretary of the three Shilo-area hilltop communities of Adei Ad, Achiyah, and Givat Har'el, told Arutz-7 this morning:
"I was accused of kicking a soldier, but this was found not to be true, and therefore the judge ruled that I can return to my home. On the other hand, the police illegally burst into my home, causing damages, for which we will file a separate suit. My friend, on the other hand, is not allowed to return home, despite the fact that he is not even charged with physical assault. It should be noted that at the time of the incident, the police took his baby from his arms, with the suggestion that they hold her - and this caused him great anxiety and fear that the baby would be endangered, leading him to scream certain things at the police - which of course does not justify such a severe punishment." He said that an appeal against the ruling would be filed as early as today by Atty. Naftali Wurtzberger.
"Usually, insulting a public servant does not lead to an arrest," Har'el said, "but the judge added some political considerations to his ruling. He said that there are about to be many outpost dismantlings, and that this incident is related to that government decision - even though this is totally not true, as this incident was connected with a specific building and had nothing to do with the aborted dismantling of two weeks ago. By the way, the structure is totally legal, it's in its place, and a family is already living there. We simply continue to do our job: build up the area, bring in new families, and develop the Land of Israel."
Har'el noted that the judge said that the "ideological motivation" of the residents makes them particularly dangerous, and that this could be compared to the "ideological motivation" of the Arabs in their intifada.