Police arrest 5 settlers suspected of violence against security forces

Police last night arrested five Israeli settlers suspected of violence against security forces, law enforcement officials announce.

The five were transferred for interrogation after police, operating off intelligence from the Shin Bet, detained them overnight Saturday-Sunday. Details regarding the suspects and the ongoing investigation are barred for publication under a gag order lasting until September 3.

“The Shin Bet and Israel Police view these acts of terror as a grave threat to national security and will continue to work to thwart such activity and to prosecute perpetrators to the fullest extent of the law,” the agencies say in a joint statement.

Honenu, a right-wing legal aid organization, accuses law enforcement of carrying out a “witch hunt against the settler community” with the recent arrests, claiming that authorities hold a double standard against settlers.

“While other groups that block roads and act violently toward public officials are dealt with gently, settlers who hold legitimate protests are pursued like common criminals,” a spokesman for the group alleges.

Recent years have seen settler attacks in the West Bank rise steeply, mostly targeting Palestinians, with little enforcement.

Last Tuesday, police arrested two other settlers on similar suspicions, saying the two detainees were involved in violence against security forces.