Defense Minister Israel Katz met Friday for about an hour with Tal Yinon Dardik, who is suspected of abusing Palestinians and involvement in nationalist crime, in his detention cell.
Dardik refused administrative house arrest and other alternatives to detention, insisting that he be allowed to remain only at the farm where he lives. As a result, he is being held in a detention cell and has been on a hunger strike for 20 days in protest.
(Photo: AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
The incidents in which Dardik is suspected of involvement took place in the village of Khirbet Humsa in March, during Operation Roaring Lion. Among other allegations, he is suspected of involvement in tying a Palestinian man by his genitals with a plastic cable tie.
Dardik denies taking part in the incidents and says he was not involved in nationalist crime. People close to him say his life is in real danger because of the hunger strike.
His detention has prompted intense discussion in West Bank settlements, several letters to the defense minister and a wave of protests directed at Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth.
Katz’s visit was considered highly unusual for a defense minister. Officials familiar with the matter said he went to see Dardik to ensure that his medical condition was stable.
Human rights activists reported in March that on the night of March 12-13, between 30 and 40 Jewish rioters armed with clubs arrived at Khirbet Humsa, a village made up of a Bedouin shepherding community.
Residents alleged that the attackers handcuffed several men and beat them, while international volunteers who tried to protect children were dragged away. They also alleged that hundreds of sheep and other livestock were stolen during the incident.
At the end of March, after a gag order on the case was lifted, following an interview published by The New York Times with members of a Palestinian family from the village who described severe abuse, police said that several extremist rioters were suspected of entering the Bedouin community, raiding buildings and forcing residents outside.
Police said the suspects handcuffed the residents, violently assaulted them and committed indecent acts against one of the victims. The rioters were also suspected of damaging property and stealing belongings and a large number of sheep.
Several residents were injured in the attack, and four required medical treatment, police said.