The State Prosecutor's Office filed an indictment against Uriya Cohen from Yitzhar, a Samaria farmer who says he was defending his life and property against Arab assailants. The right-wing Honenu organization sharply criticizes the charges and accuses police of running a false campaign and concealing exculpatory evidence.
The State Prosecutor's Office on Thursday filed an indictment against Uriya Cohen, a Samaria farmer from the settlement of Yitzhar, whom his legal team says acted in self-defense against attacking Arab assailants. The right-wing Honenu organization, which represents Cohen, sharply criticized the charges Thursday, accusing police of running a false campaign and deliberately concealing exculpatory evidence that they claim would have exonerated their client. The timing of the allegations against law enforcement represents the latest twist in a case that has drawn significant attention from settler advocacy groups and right-wing politicians.
The indictment, which was filed Thursday afternoon in the Jerusalem District Court, charges Cohen with offenses arising from an alleged shooting incident. This development follows an earlier Zioneer bulletin published Thursday at 12:44 Jerusalem, which reported that the formal charges dropped a prior police claim that Cohen had shot and wounded an Arab assailant. The first bulletin noted that the indictment instead accused Cohen only of firing a warning shot during his search for a stolen herd. The evolution of the accusation from an alleged wounding to a warning shot has fueled Honenu's claim of a false police narrative. No Arab suspects have been charged in connection with the same incident, according to Cohen's supporters.
The case also exists alongside a separate indictment Cohen faces in connection with the violent riot in Huwara three weeks ago, as The Zioneer reported on Thursday at 14:37 Jerusalem. That indictment describes Cohen blocking a Palestinian vehicle, brandishing a weapon, and participating in the beating of Palestinians alongside others. The current case involving the alleged shooting near Yitzhar is formally separate from the Huwara charges, but taken together they place Cohen at the center of two significant law enforcement actions.
The evidentiary dispute between Honenu and the police remains unresolved. The court has yet to set a date for a preliminary hearing. Honenu's allegations of evidence concealment have not been independently verified, and police have not publicly responded to the specific claims advanced by the organization.
3 developments
- DevelopingFarm owner's advocate claims police fabricated case in Samaria herd theft incident
- DevelopingDetention extended for two Samaria farmers after they retrieved stolen flock; lawyers say case weak
- DevelopingDistrict Court overturns house arrest, orders farm owner Uriya Cohen held until indictment
- DevelopingSamaria farmer released after two weeks in custody, judge criticizes police case
Source and signal
- Internal intake