Police questioned Itiel Ne’eman, the director‑general of Otzma Yehudit, on Sunday regarding allegations of extortion by threats, assault, obstructing an officer, and obstruction of justice stemming from a violent clash with law‑enforcement personnel in the West Bank settlement of Mitzpe Yeriho, according to Israeli media reports.
The probe pertains to the same episode that led to the questioning of Otzma Yehudit faction chairman MK Yitzhak Kreuzer roughly a month earlier, where a group of individuals reportedly clashed with police, blocked a patrol vehicle, and assisted a suspect in evading capture.
“A suspect implicated in the assault of a police officer in Mitzpe Yeriho is currently being interrogated at the Lahav 433 national investigations unit,” a police spokesperson said in a statement.
Law‑enforcement officers sustained injuries during the confrontation, which was recorded on an officer’s body‑camera. The video footage forms part of the evidentiary case against the alleged perpetrators, the reports indicate.
Otzma Yehudit Accuses Attorney General of Political Persecution
Otzma Yehudit responded by stating that “the attorney‑general’s alleged political persecution of the party has crossed every red line today, exemplified by the summons of its director‑general, Itiel Ne’eman, for questioning.”
Otzma Yehudit asserted that Kreuzer was blocked from filing a complaint with the Police Internal Investigations Department (PIID) for over a week following a memorial for a childhood comrade killed in combat “with a broken rib,” and that “the law‑enforcement system is now targeting the party’s leadership in a transparent effort to damage Otzma Yehudit in any way possible.”
“The selective enforcement cries out to the heavens,” the party declared. “While investigations against left‑wing figures and opposition members such as Gilad Kariv and Naama Lazimi languish and ultimately dissolve, Otzma Yehudit officials face investigations with unprecedented speed and intensity.”
Crowd Blocked Police Car During Mitzpe Yeriho Memorial, Reports Indicate
According to reports from Ynet, the confrontation started when police pursued a suspect from a prior assault through Mitzpe Yeriho, and the suspect fled into an area where local settlers were holding a memorial.
A Haaretz account states that the gathering, which included Kreuzer and Ne’eman, obstructed the officers’ patrol car. Kreuzer is alleged to have led the crowd, urging police to halt the pursuit and return cellphones taken from the suspect’s vehicle.
Witnesses claim that some onlookers called the officers Nazis, escalating the dispute into physical violence. One officer suffered a broken nose, another sustained a fractured hand, and the patrol car sustained damage after being struck with a knife.
National Security Minister and Otzma Yehudit chairman Itamar Ben‑Gvir arrived on the scene while the clash was underway. Reports from Ynet and Haaretz, citing a police source, claim that Ben‑Gvir supported the crowd and accused officers of excessive force. Ben‑Gvir contests this, maintaining that he attended the memorial and remained a passive observer.
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