From the Liveblog of
Friday, July 18, 2025
Police reopen case into settler attack after report raises questions about decision to close probe
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Police have reopened an investigation into a recent settler attack on an Israeli peace activist in the West Bank after a report in the Haaretz daily revealed that the probe had been closed due to what officers claimed was their inability to identify suspects, even though the victim provided significant evidence to law enforcement, including the name of one of the assailants.
The case appears to highlight the apparent lack of willpower among law enforcement to probe incidents of settler violence, which go almost entirely unchecked. Ninety-four percent of all probes into settler violence between 2005 and 2024 ended without an indictment even being filed, according to the Yesh Din rights group.
The head of the police’s West Bank division is currently under investigation for intentionally not prosecuting cases of settler violence in order to curry favor in the eyes of far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir whose office oversees the police. While the commander was initially removed from his post, the police commissioner last month ordered that he be allowed to return to work.
In the latest incident that took place in May, settlers allegedly attacked a group of Palestinians from Mughayyir al-Deir along with a group of Israeli peace activists who were accompanying them. During the attack, the settlers opened fire on the Palestinians and stole cameras, a cellphone a wallet and other items from activist Avishay Mohar.
Mohar told Haaretz that he filed a police complaint at the Binyamin police station two days after the attack. The complaint included medical documents, a picture of several of the attackers and the name of one of the assailants.
The computer’s GPS tracker was active in the weeks since the attack, and the victim’s lawyer updated police regarding its location, which moved among a pair of illegal outposts.
Mohar also offered police his car to scan it for fingerprints, as the attackers had been inside.
Despite all of this evidence, police decided to close the investigation on the grounds that they had been unable to identify the perpetrators.
Following Haaretz’s report on the closed investigation, police informed the publication that they had decided to reopen the case in order to locate the suspects and bring them to justice.
The Times of Israel Community.