Suspected of assaulting a minor: European left-wing activist to face deportation from Israel
The police announced that an evidentiary basis has been established against the activist who was arrested near the settlement of Carmel. The investigation materials were transferred to the Population and Immigration Authority, which will hold a hearing and decide whether to remove him from the country.
The foreign activist who was arrested near the settlement of Carmel following a friction incident with Israeli children was transferred to the Population and Immigration Authority, ahead of a hearing at the end of which a decision will be made regarding his deportation from Israel. The police stated that the investigation established an evidentiary basis against him on suspicion of assaulting a minor and other offenses.
The incident occurred last Saturday near the Barkai neighborhood at the entrance to the settlement of Carmel in the southern Hebron Hills. According to the police, the foreign citizen disturbed the public order during a friction event, and following a complaint filed against him on suspicion of assaulting a minor and other suspicions, officers from the Hebron station were summoned to the scene. After an initial inquiry, he was arrested and transferred for questioning.
The activist, a European citizen staying in the area as part of an activity known as "protective presence," was arrested after he was documented pressing himself against a 10-year-old Jewish boy in a manner that raised suspicion of sexual harassment among his family members. The boy's father filed a complaint with the police, and residents who arrived at the scene detained the suspect until the arrival of the police officers.
The incident began when three children aged 10 to 12 were making their way from the settlement of Carmel to the Barkai neighborhood. Dozens of meters from the neighborhood, they encountered Palestinians and foreign left-wing activists, and a friction incident developed during which, according to the complaint, one of the children was assaulted.
The investigation file was handled by the inter-organizational headquarters of the Judea and Samaria District. After the police stated that an evidentiary basis for the activist's actions had been established, the investigation materials were transferred last night to the Population and Immigration Authority for the purpose of holding a hearing and making a decision regarding his removal from Israel.
In parallel with the suspect's arrest, the CEO of "Breaking the Silence," Nadav Weiman, published a completely different version online. Weiman wrote that "settlers kidnapped an international protective presence activist from the Palestinian village of Umm al-Khair," and claimed that "settler children from the outpost stole a ball from Palestinian children and then called armed adults who kidnapped the activist." He further wrote: "Pay attention to the settler children in the video, this is how their parents educate them."
The police noted that the move is being carried out as part of the cooperation with law enforcement authorities and with the aim of thwarting provocative activity that includes friction and public order disturbances throughout Judea and Samaria. It was further stated that the Judea and Samaria District will continue to act against acts of violence and public order disturbances that occur, among other things, against the backdrop of incitement.
The police stated:
"Contrary to the baseless claim regarding a kidnapping, last night a foreign citizen was detained by the security officer of one of the settlements near Carmel, on suspicion of committing an indecent act against a minor. The suspect was transferred for police questioning which included, among other things, the collection of testimonies in which a suspicion of an assault case against a minor arose. At the end of the suspect's questioning, he was imprisoned and the investigation of the case is still ongoing."
