Police instructed not to travel alone on Negev road due to safety concerns — report

Southern District police allegedly received instructions from a commander forbidding them from traveling solo along Route 310, which runs past the Bedouin town of Tarabin al-Sana in southern Israel, for safety reasons, according to a Channel 12 report.

The report, which quotes text message instructions from an unnamed commander, airs in the wake of a series of raids on the village over the weekend, capped off by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s provocative tour in the area today.

The text messages, according to Channel 12, instruct officers to travel in groups of six to eight. They are also forbidden from entering Tarabin al-Sana.

Ben Gvir’s visit was prompted by overnight vandalism in Jewish towns, in which four masked assailants set fire to and damaged cars in Giv’ot Bar and Mishmar Hanegev. Police say the vandalism was revenge for another raid by law enforcement Friday night, aimed at recovering a stolen horse.

Earlier today, young men threw stones at forces ahead of Ben Gvir’s visit, while heavily-armed officers used tear gas on the locals, in scuffles that continued even after he entered the town.

According to Channel 12, police have long been wary of entering or going near Tarabin al-Sana. The outlet airs footage appearing to show that during the police’s Friday raid, protesters managed to run cops out of the town. Police deny these claims.

“The claim regarding the ‘flight’ of forces is a complete distortion of reality,” police say, insisting that the officers achieved their aims in the town and then “left the area in a controlled manner.”