Violent settlers freed over 'improper' police conduct

[bemildred]

The Kfar Sava Magistrate's Court freed on Friday five settlers a day after they had been arrested by police who masqueraded as Palestinians.

The detainees, who reside in a West Bank outpost, were arrested on Thursday after attacking the disguised police and vandalizing their car.

But when they were brought to the courtroom for a remand extension on charges of attacking Palestinian people and property, the court learned that the alleged victims were the police themselves, and that the vandalized car was a police-owned vehicle. Justice David Gadol ruled that the police acts were unlawful and ordered to release the detainees to house arrest, while issuing a restraining order prohibiting their return to the outpost.

Defense attorney Adi Keidar told the court that the policemen's conduct was "provocative," especially against the backdrop of a West Bank shooting attack two weeks ago, in which two policemen were shot and killed by Palestinians who staged a flat tire. Keidar said that police used the same pretext to attract the defendants' attention.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1074431.html

[Grimm]

1. So sting operations are illegal in Israel?

That's what it sounds like from reading the judge's ruling. Unless Ha'aretz is omitting a part of the story where the policemen were running around, firing into the air and calling for Jewish blood, I can't understand what they did that was considered provocative enough to throw the case out.

EDIT: I guess technically the settlers did have the defence of entrapment, but I don't know how Israel considers the use of that defence. Normally, the police have to induce the accused into committing the offence, but I can't see anything in the article that counts as inducement (unless being Palestinian is all that is needed...which is pretty messed up)

[Kurska]

2. What are they stinging for?

How is using the exact same setup used to kill policemen two weeks ago right, these people may very well may have thought that the car was trying to pull the same trick.

Stupid Stupid idea on the part of the police.

[Grimm]

3. From the article:

Police sources told Haaretz that the technique is established and effective when it comes to the arrest of settlers involved in attacking Palestinians.

That would be their sting objective. And as sad as the terrorist attack was by the Palestinians two weeks ago, that doesn't provide justification for Israeli citizens, not even soldiers or police, to violently attack every Palestinian they see on the side of the road.

[Kurska]

5. Depends on how similiar the situations are and how widely known the detials are of that particular

attack. Although yes, I do agree, no matter the situation was what the settlers did was wrong. If it wasn't the police who set up the situation in the first place I'd be all for having them arrested. However, the job of the police is not to try to goad reactions like this from the populace.

[bemildred]

6. Having a flat tire is not "goading" anybody to do anything. nt

[Kurska]

7. Depends on how similar the situation was to repeat myself

Was it the same make of car? Was the person wearing the exact same dress? Was it the same type of flat, during the same time of day?

It could very much look like someone was trying to do the same thing.

[bemildred]

8. Oh bullshit.

if you really gave a shit, you could offer to help them fix the tire. Are you really making excuses for unprovoked attacks on Israeli police pretending to fix a tire beside the road?

[bemildred]

4. Sounds like the "technique" worked great.

It caught some asshole settlers trying to be vigilantes. People do get real flat tires. I've had a few myself. Usually, nobody bothers me while I fix it.