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A visit by a diplomatic delegation to the village of Turmus Ayya near the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah on June 23, 2023, in the aftermath of an attack there by Israeli settlers. Credit: AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP Published by Haaretz
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Intelligence information indicates that Aryeh, a 20-year resident of the settlement of Bruchin, vandalized property in nearby Luban al-Sharkiyeh during the settler riots that followed the murder of four Israelis near the settlement of Eli

by Hagar Shezaf for Haaretz
Jul 10, 2023 7:46 pm IDT

An Israeli settler suspected of participating in the recent West Bank riots has been placed in administrative detention without trial under an order signed by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

According to the order, Aviya Aryeh is slated to remain in detention without trial for four months. A security source said he is suspected of involvement in violence against Palestinians and vandalizing Palestinian property, but there is insufficient evidence to indict him.

Intelligence information indicates that Aryeh, a 20-year resident of the settlement of Bruchin, vandalized property in nearby Luban al-Sharkiyeh during the settler riots that followed the murder of four Israelis near the settlement of Eli, a Defense Ministry official said. Gallant signed the detention order at the recommendation of the Shin Bet security service.

Aryeh is the fifth Jew to be placed in administrative detention over the last month. That is an unusually high number of Jewish detainees. The other four are Shmuel Shahar, Yair Lubetzy, Yosef Yitzhak and Shmuel Arye Shusterman. In contrast, 1,132 Palestinians are currently subject to administrative detention or restrictions.

In June, Gallant told the Knesset that he intended to issue administrative detention orders to prevent future violence against Palestinians, and that not doing so would be like “letting a man walk around with a can of gasoline with the intention of committing arson.”

Administrative detainees are arrested based on classified evidence that they are not allowed to see, even during the court hearing in which the court hearing in which their detention must be approved post facto.

Court hearings to approve the administrative detentions of the other four Jewish detainees were postponed twice and have yet to be held. Honenu, the organization representing the detainees, said they are in contact with senior coalition members in an effort to have the administrative orders cancelled. The last hearing was scheduled for Sunday night but has been rescheduled for this coming Wednesday.

Attorney Nati Rom of Honenu said that Aryeh was arrested around noon on Sunday on the basis of a warrant “that ostensibly depicts a reasonable suspicion against my client. But strangely, the police asked time after time that the hearing be delayed.

“At 3 P.M., after a long wait in court, it once again turned out that this was an imbecilic attempt to taint the criminal process with the pretext of a reasonable suspicion when in reality, it was about buying time to procure the administrative detention order from the defense minister, who serves as a rubber stamp. This is unacceptable.

“The defense minister has become a rubber stamp for administrative orders against settlers who love the state and the land,” Rom concluded. “Standard criminal proceedings against settlers have become a mere recommendation.”