Left wing rally (Archives)
Photo: Motti Sander
15 leftists detained near Bat Ayin settlement
Group of left-wing activist attempting to reach Palestinian village of Hirbat Safa detained by IDF soldiers for violating closed military zone order. One activist suffers broken arm after altercations with soldiers, Palestinian activist lightly injured
Fifteen left-wing activists were detained by security forces at the West Bank settlement of Bat Ayin Saturday, for violating a closed military zone order.
One activist reportedly broke her arm during and altercation with the soldiers. Another Palestinian was lightly injured.
The military imposed the edict in order to avoid local confrontations. The activists were apparently trying to get to the Palestinian village of Hirbat Safa, in order to help local farmers work their land.
The Palestinians claim that settlers are regularly stopping them from farming the land, and that they often set fire to local fields and groves.
According to the activists, over the past six weekends, IDF soldiers have refrained from interfering while settlers attempted to harm Palestinians, all while "we are subjected to arrests. In all of these weeks, not one settler has been arrested for violence."
The activists added that since the terror attack in Bat Ayin in April, the violence in the area has escalated.
The IDF offered the following response: "The area has been placed under a closed military zone edict in order to avoid altercations. A group of left-wing activists and Palestinian arrives in the area and were advised of the order, but attempted to force their way through and therefore were detained by the soldiers."
Efrat Weiss contributed to this report
