Israeli police arrested three left-wing Israeli activists Wednesday night in the village of A-Tuwani in the South Hebron Hills, after a settler said he had been assaulted by Palestinians and testified that the activists who were present at the scene did not intervene. Hours after the incident took place, the activists were summoned to give testimony at the police station, but after refusing to cooperate with their interrogation, they were turned into suspects and arrested.
Following the incident, the police raided a Palestinian home in A-Tuwani where the activists had been staying, confiscating computers, camera phones, and a car — all without a warrant, and despite most of the equipment not being suspected of belonging to the activists under arrest.
The incident began on Wednesday morning when a settler was jogging from the nearby settlement of Ma’on toward the edge of A-Tuwani. There he was stopped by a number of Palestinian residents who allegedly assaulted him. Israeli solidarity activists who have been permanently staying in the area due to increased settler and military violence were also present at the incident. The police arrived to the area after Palestinian residents from a nearby village called them upon seeing the jogging settler.
The South Hebron Hills have become a hotbed of settler extremism, and the area has seen a drastic increase in attacks on Palestinian residents, most prominently during the pogrom on the village of Mufagara, which took place in late September. Masafer Yatta, the area of the South Hebron Hills that includes A-Tuwani and 11 other hamlets, is under threat of forcible expulsion by the Israeli authorities after the army declared the area a “firing zone.” When they are not facing settler violence, residents of Masafer Yatta must deal with Israeli bulldozers, which regularly demolish their homes and livelihood.
Upon arrival, the police took down the details of three Israeli activists — Yahli Chilik, Matan Kadish, and Yasmin Eran-Vardy — but refrained from arresting them. Later in the afternoon, they were summoned by phone to give testimony at the police station in the nearby settlement of Kiryat Arba. According to the activists’ lawyers, Riham Nasra and Michal Pomeranz, two of the three detainees were released without conditions and waited for their friend after providing testimony. The investigator at the station refused to accept the third activist’s testimony, accusing her of obstructing the investigation. He then banned her from A-Tuwani for 15 days.
Before the three were allowed to leave the station, the police demanded to search their cars, prompting the activists to ask to see a warrant. They were then arrested again and charged with obstructing justice, assault, and failure to prevent a crime. They were not offered conditional release and remained in custody overnight.