On the night of Thursday, November 6, three Jewish youths were detained by the Binyamin Police as they posted announcements inviting the public to an evening on the subject of ascending Har Habayis. The youths posted the announcements at hitchhiking stops throughout the Binyamin region in Shomron. Although technically forbidden, posting announcements on cement barriers at hitchhiking stops in the regions of Yehuda and Shomron, including Binyamin, is an accepted practice which rarely draws any reaction from the police who see the announcements on a constant basis and ignore them.
The three detainees were taken to the Binyamin Police Station and interrogated on suspicion of vandalizing public property. This is a misdemeanor for which the punishment is a small fine, and in the past courts have ruled that for this misdemeanor the police are not authorized to detain, but rather only hold someone long enough to issue a fine.
Since posting announcements of this sort in the regions of Yehuda and Shomron is an everyday occurrence, friends of the detainees are very surprised by the detention. It is not clear why the police chose to prosecute the youths posting these particular announcements.
The announcements express support for Rabbi Yehuda Glick, the executive director of the Haliba organization for Jewish freedom on Har Habayis, and invite the public to two lectures followed by a discussion on the subject of ascending the Temple Mount.
Honenu attorney Adi Kedar is representing the detainees.
Photo: The announcement posted by the youths, Rabbi Glick with Har Habayis in the background
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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2 Responses
New Yorkers shouldn’t be surprised. There’s been talk of the need for a “Guiliani” in quelling the unrest, and here it is: to quell big trouble, start by quelling little trouble. That “little trouble” is associated with Jews calling a meeting is ironic but not bizarre.
What unrest? Violent crime continues to decline in NYC. Homicides are down 6.6% this year, rapes down 4.9%, robbery down 14.4%, felonious assault down 0.3%. In Giuliani’s last year in office there were 649 homicides; last year there were 335 and we are on pace this year for 313.