An IDF soldier on leave was arrested Saturday after he went to help a shepherd attacked by Arab rioters near the village of al-Mu'ayir in Binyamin, the Honenu organization reports. Police allege the soldier injured a Palestinian child, but the soldier denies firing any weapon. Attorney Nati Rom accused police of adopting a 'blood libel' from the village's incitement channel and called for his immediate release.
An IDF soldier on leave from a reconnaissance unit was arrested Saturday evening after he went to assist a shepherd attacked by Arab rioters near the village of al-Mu'ayir in the Binyamin region of Judea and Samaria. The soldier, who resides in a local farm, maintains he did not fire his weapon. Attorney Nati Rom, representing the soldier through the Honenu organization, accused police of adopting a 'blood libel' from the village's incitement channel, 'Yawmiyat al-Mu'ayir,' which he said has a track record of spreading false allegations. Rom called for the soldier's immediate release and suggested the child's injury may have been caused by fireworks or other means unrelated to security forces.
Initial reports published by The Zioneer at 18:39 Jerusalem time Saturday evening documented the arrest of a regular IDF soldier on suspicion of involvement in the shooting of a 9-year-old Palestinian child in the village of al-Mu'ayir. The incident occurred Friday, when the soldier—reportedly on leave—arrived at the village outskirts with several other Israelis following an attack on a shepherd. Reports indicated that a confrontation developed during which the soldier allegedly fired his personal weapon and struck the child. The soldier's weapon was confiscated by Judea and Samaria District police. Shortly afterward, the soldier was identified as a 19-year-old resident of the Binyamin region, and documentation of the incident emerged. The current update marks the first time the soldier's denial and the lawyer's accusations have been reported.
The Binyamin region has seen a series of attacks on Jewish shepherds by Arab rioters in recent weeks, as The Zioneer has reported. In separate incidents over the past month, shepherds were attacked in the Hebron Mountains, south of Shechem, near Ma'ale T'dhar, and in eastern Binyamin, with some attacks involving theft of livestock and injuries. The incident in al-Mu'ayir began Friday when a shepherd was attacked with fireworks and stones by rioters from the village; IDF forces dispersed the rioters with gas and stun grenades before the claims of a child's injury surfaced.
The child's condition remains unclear, and the source of the injury is disputed. The investigation is ongoing, and police have not commented on the lawyer's claims. Honenu is calling for the soldier's release and a full inquiry into the circumstances.
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