Israeli security forces on Sunday morning arrested three Palestinians who participated in a confrontation last week during which an Israeli settler allegedly stabbed a Palestinian to death near Ariel in the West Bank.
Ali Hassan Harb was killed during a confrontation between settlers and Palestinians on the edges of his hometown of Iskaka on Tuesday. The Israelis had apparently come to examine the land to build a new illegal outpost in the past.
The settler suspected of stabbing Harb has been held incommunicado by the Shin Bet internal security service since Thursday. His attorneys say he acted in self-defense.
“Three of Harb’s family members who witnessed the incident were arrested, and we still don’t know why or where they are,” Iskaka Mayor Osama Zaher said in a phone call.
An Israeli security official confirmed the arrests to The Times of Israel, but refused to elaborate on why the three had been detained. The Shin Bet declined to comment.
A gag order requested by Israeli police bars the publication of most of the details of the case.
Zaher identified the three detainees as Harb’s uncle Naim, an accountant employed by the Palestinian Authority; Naim’s son Firas; and Zaid Harb, who is also the stabbed Palestinian’s cousin.
Naim Harb had filed a formal complaint about the stabbing with the Israel Police on Wednesday following the incident, according to his family.
Palestinian witnesses said Harb, a 27-year-old engineer, was stabbed in the heart by the Israeli settler “for no reason.” According to Palestinians, police and soldiers were present at the scene but did not immediately arrest him.
Right-wing Israelis protest the detention of an Israeli settler suspected of stabbing a Palestinian to death near Ariel, at a protest on Saturday, June 25, 2022 (Credit: Honenu)
Harb’s death is being investigated by both the Shin Bet and Israel Police’s Nationalist Crimes Unit in the Judea and Samaria Division, which often investigates Jewish extremist violence.
According to the Israeli military, soldiers arrived shortly after Harb was stabbed. Troops suggested that they would take Harb in an army ambulance to a local hospital, but the Palestinians refused and evacuated him themselves, the army said.
Palestinian witnesses contested that account. Ahmad Harb, who bore his cousin’s body away from the scene, called it “complete and utter lies.”
“The army, the settlement guards, the police, they were all there. They watched while he was stabbed and then prevented us from reaching him for 20 minutes,” said Ahmad.
A lawyer for the detained Israeli said in a statement that his client had narrowly survived an assault by dozens of Palestinians.
“This was an event in which Jews were miraculously saved. This was a grave incident of Arabs attacking Jews,” said Adi Kedar, an attorney at Honenu, a right-wing legal aid organization that often represents Jews accused of hate crimes.
Hundreds of Israelis protested the man’s detention in front of the Ariel police station on Saturday night. Demonstrators held signs urging police to “arrest the Arab rioters.” During the rally, right-wing lawmakers and prominent settler rabbis lambasted Israeli security forces for detaining him.
“The conditions under which he is being held are inappropriate. It’s not ethical,” dissident Yamina MK Idit Silman told the crowd.
“Thank you for coming out to support him. Most importantly, you’re fighting for our homeland. We will fight together,” Silman said.
أُعلن استشهاد الشاب علي حسن حرب (27 عاماً) متأثراً بإصابته بطعنة مباشرة في القلب على يد مستوطن في قرية إسكاكا شرق سلفيت.. علي كان يتصدى مع عدد من الأهالي لمستوطنين نصبوا خيمة في أرض تقع غرب القرية بهدف الاستيلاء عليها. pic.twitter.com/2jf9FbX2oK
— AJ+ عربي (@ajplusarabi) June 22, 2022
Over 25 right-wing MKs signed a letter last week calling on the Shin Bet and police to allow the murder suspect to meet with his lawyer. Left-wing Meretz lawmaker Mossi Raz, a prominent supporter of prisoners’ rights, agreed.
“Every man, even the most odious murderer, is entitled to legal representation. I hope that the right-wing MKs who signed this petition join me in calling for the same rights when it comes to Palestinian suspects,” Raz said.
