Three settlers indicted for attacking Palestinian

Three residents of the West Bank settlement of Bat Ayin were indicted Tuesday in Jerusalem for attacking a Palestinian laborer and soldier and vandalizing an olive grove.

David Or Shahar, 19, and two minors aged 16 and 17 were charged in Jerusalem District Court of a racially motivated aggravated assault, attacking a public servant, racially motivated willful damage and other offenses.

The 17-year-old was also accused of obstruction of justice.

According to the indictment, in one of the cases the three defendants assaulted a Palestinian laborer as well as an IDF soldier who tried to prevent the attack.

The attack, in October 2013, prompted the IDF to pull out its soldiers from guard duty at the West Bank settlement.

In another incident, the accused pelted a Palestinian truck with rocks. The indictment also accuses the three of cutting down olive trees owned by Palestinians who live near Bat Ayin and spraying the slogans “Arabs are thieves” and “price tag” on rocks in the olive grove. The damage to the grove was assessed at NIS 30,000 (c. $8,000).

Additionally, the 17-year-old is accused of obstruction of justice over his contacts with Elad Yaakov Sela, a soldier in Military Intelligence who leaked information about the accused minor and other residents of Bat Ayin, as well as information regarding future arrests and interrogations.

According to the indictment, the minor, who cannot be named due to his age, passed on the information to other people and thus interfered with the proceeding of a criminal investigation.

The indictment was preceded by an investigation by the Shin Bet security service.

Although the prosecution asked that the suspects be detained until the end of proceedings, the court released them from arrest without conditions.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.