A convoy of ravshatzim, local security coordinators, from across Israel arrived this morning (Sunday) at the gates of the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, protesting the arrest of a security coordinator from the Shomron and the conditions of his detention by the Shin Bet. According to a statement from Honenu, the organisation representing the detainee, the security coordinator has been held in a cell under harsh conditions. The protesters are demanding that the Defence Minister intervene in the case and examine how the detainee is being treated.
Shachar Zer, rabshatz of the Shomron community of Itamar, joined the call and said: "The Defence Minister must intervene."
The protest follows a letter sent last night to the Defence Minister and signed by some one hundred ravshatzim from across the country, in which they expressed sharp protest over the conditions of their colleague's detention and the treatment he has received, they claim, from the security authorities.
"We find it difficult to accept that a person who dedicates his life to defending residents and the security of the settlements is arrested and treated like the worst of terrorists, with injury to his dignity and his standing as a civilian security officer," the rabshatzim wrote.
In the letter, the signatories also addressed the conditions of detention, claiming that the security coordinator has been held in a cell measuring approximately two metres in each direction.
"We view with particular severity the conditions of detention, including his being held in a cell whose dimensions are approximately two metres by two metres by two metres. These conditions raise serious questions regarding the proportionality of the treatment toward him and the justification for holding him in this manner," they wrote.
The ravshatzim emphasised that in their view, the incident goes beyond the personal matter of the detainee and touches on the standing of civilian security personnel in the communities.
"The arrest of our colleague is not only his private matter. It touches on the standing of the rabshatzim and of civilian security personnel, who bear heavy responsibility and work day by day for the security of the residents," they clarified.
They concluded their letter with a firm warning: "A red line has been crossed. We will not stand aside and we will not be silent!"
Shomron Council head Yossi Dagan also joined the protest. He met over the weekend with the wife of the detained security coordinator, expressed support for the family and called for his release.
