West Bank09 September, 20263 min read
IDF Arrests Three Palestinian Authority Police Officers Near Beitunia Over Assault Of Reservist
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Israeli army arrested three Palestinian police officers near Beitunia for allegedly setting up a checkpoint. They are accused of detaining and assaulting an Israeli reservist during the incident.
7 outlets told this the same way.
Arrest in Area C
The Israeli military announced it had apprehended three Palestinian Authority police officers for setting up a blockade in Area C of the West Bank and detaining and assaulting an off-duty reservist last month near Beitunia. The incident, dated August 23, involved an Israeli resident of a West Bank settlement who was stopped by the PA officers on a road near the Palestinian town of Beitunia and, the reservist said, they beat him after breaking his glasses and phone and taking his car key. The IDF said Area C is under Israeli civil and security control and that the PA officers “overstepped their authority to operate in these areas,” while Israeli security authorities described the incident as a serious overreach and severe force against the reservist.
The Israeli army said the three officers were detained this week and were being questioned by the Shin Bet, and it added that it would not tolerate any deviation from procedures while maintaining security coordination. A separate report from A News described the same episode as the Israeli army arresting three Palestinian police officers for allegedly setting up a checkpoint, stopping an Israeli citizen, and assaulting him in the occupied West Bank.
Rujab rejects change
In an interview with “The Arab New,” spokesperson for the Palestinian security forces Anwar Rujab said Israel’s arrest of three Palestinian police officers “will not change our policy,” framing the move as a “thug-like approach” aimed at undermining Palestinian security forces. Rujab affirmed that the security forces were acting with “wisdom” to avoid violence, and he said the situation is “complex” because areas are intermingled under the Oslo Accords. The Arab New also quoted Rujab saying, “this behavior and approach will not change the security apparatus’s policy of utmost restraint,” and he argued that Israel’s “deliberate Israeli policy aims to undermine the work of the security forces and limit their ability to carry out their tasks.”
The Times of Israel reported that the IDF said the officers were being questioned by the Shin Bet and that “The IDF maintains security coordination in accordance with the directive of the political leadership.” A News similarly said the Palestinian police did not immediately comment on the Israeli army’s statement, while the Israeli security establishment described the incident as “serious overstepping” and “severe and excessive force.”
Area C and next steps
The Israeli army said Area C accounts for more than 60% of the occupied West Bank and remains under Israeli security and civil control under the Oslo Accords, while A News described the same area as under Israeli security and civil control. The Times of Israel said the reservist told Ynet that the PA officers took his weapon, forced him out of the car, and beat him, and it added that the officers took him in their cruiser toward Ramallah before handing him over to Israeli forces. The Times of Israel reported that the roadblock was set up in Area C near Beitunia, and it said the army detained the three PA officers over their involvement in the roadblock and assault and that they were being questioned by the Shin Bet.
Masrawy described the same case as dating back to August 23, saying Palestinian police officers set up a security checkpoint on a road near Beituniya, stopped an armed Israeli settler serving in the reserve forces, beat him, transported him toward Ramallah, and handed him back to Israeli forces shortly after detaining him. Al-Jazirah Net said the Israeli army arrested three members of the Palestinian police for violating their powers by operating in areas under Israeli control in the occupied West Bank, and it quoted the Israeli account that the security apparatus described the incident as “serious transgression” that endangered the life of the Israeli citizen and involved “aggressive and excessive force.”