Adei Ad region
צילום: הרב אריק אשרמן
Settler soldier indicted for assaulting cop
Soldier, resident of West Bank outpost, detained until end of trial for allegedly throwing stones, cursing at security forces evicting his home
The military court in Jaffa indicted Monday afternoon a soldier accused of attacking a Border Guard policeman, during an eviction of families from the outpost Adei Ad.
The indictment asserts that the soldier, who serves in the military rabbinate, threw stones at the policeman and called him a Nazi. He is accused of assaulting a police officer and insulting a public officer, as well as disobeying orders.
The soldier was on his way to the base when he was informed that his home was being evacuated. He then sent a message to his commander informing him that he would not be arriving to the base.
The soldier joined his friends in Adei Ad, at which point he bumped into the commander of the Binyamin division and was informed by him that, as a soldier, he was not allowed to oppose the eviction.
"I don't care about that and I don't care about any general," the soldier responded. "I am protecting the land of Israel." The soldier then allegedly climbed onto a nearby hill and began throwing stones at policemen carrying out the eviction.
According to the indictment, he told forces in the area that "God would not forgive them" and that they "would not be part of the next world."
A court martial requested that the soldier be detained until the conclusion of legal proceedings against him. His lawyer, Aharon Rose, said there was no justification for such a detainment.
Likewise, Roze said his client was unaware that the area around Adei Ad had been declared a closed military area and, as such, did not know that his presence there constituted disobeying an order. He added that the claims of stone throwing could not be substantiated.
The military prosecutor, Lior Shtenzler, said that the soldier needs to be arrested in order to avoid a dangerous precedent. He added that the soldier had arrived in the area "ready for battle" and that he has a history of altercations with security forces over previous evictions.
The soldier's remand was extended until the end of December.
