(VIDEO & PHOTO LINKS AT END OF STORY) ON Monday afternoon, as a crane from Ari’s Crane Company was delivering the second part of the Nachlat Cheftsiba Central Shul, an Arab from the nearby village of Beli’in climbed to the top of the crane in protest while holding a Palestinian flag.

Nachlat Cheftsiba is a development East of Modiin Illit that was built on land owned by the Africa Israel Group.

The operators of the crane were forced to cease the moving of the structure, as doing so would endanger the Arab who was at that point more than halfway up the crane. The operators of the crane then called the police in a attempt to remove the protester and resume their work.

In response, the Arab protester, whose name is Ashraf, contacted some left-wing activists who arrived at the scene and clashed with local residents who were urging the Arab protester to jump before being separated by security personnel. The army was then called in to secure a perimeter around the site of the protest. Firefighters and volunteers from Moshav Matityahu were also on the scene standing by.

After a few failed attempts were made to remove the protester from the crane, the fire department was asked to assist in his removal. Just before the firefighters started to raise their ladder, the brother of the protester was located in a attempt to talk him down. On the protesters request, everyone in the area retreated to a perimeter as his brother and some of his fellow residents from the village of Beli’in tried to talk him into coming down.

They eventually got him to step off the crane, at which point the crane was lowered. After facing a very angry owner of the crane company, the protester lowered himself off of the crane into the waiting arms of policemen, who promptly detained him, As he was being led to a police van, one of the workers of the crane company snatched the protester’s Israeli flag in an attempt to burn it. The protester was taken away in a police van, but not before he attempted to lash out at some of the local residents of Nachlat Cheftsibe that had gathered around to watch.

VIDEO & PHOTO LINKS: Click HERE to watch a video, and click HERE to see photos.

(Yehuda Boltsausher – YWN Israel)