Jerusalem: An Israeli settler who is thought to have been involved in the murder of a 19-year-old Palestinian man last week in the West Bank was released from custody on Wednesday and placed under house arrest, according to a Jerusalem court.
The radical Jewish settler Elisha Yared's detention could not be continued, the Israeli judge ruled, due to insufficient evidence. A second Israeli settler accused of shooting and killing Qusai Matan, 19, was also ordered by the court to remain in custody while receiving medical attention for injuries sustained during the attack last Friday on the Palestinian village of Burqa.
Yared being placed under house arrest seemed to highlight the feeling of impunity that Jewish extremists in the occupied West Bank enjoy for Matar's family and other Palestinians.
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Hamam, Matan's 34-year-old uncle, described what they did as "so horrifying, so immoral." "These attacks will undoubtedly continue,"
Foreign diplomats and human rights organisations denounced the murder of Matan, which infuriated Palestinians and occurred close to the West Bank city of Ramallah. The US Office for Palestinian Affairs issued a rare statement in which it condemned the killing of Matan as a "terrorist attack" (a term usually used to describe Palestinian attacks on Israeli civilians) and urged "full accountability and justice."
Last Friday, a group of armed Israeli settlers stormed the West Bank village, torching at least two cars and firing at the crowd of Palestinians lining the street. In addition to Matan, four other Palestinians also suffered injuries. According to the Israeli military, Matan was shot as a result of an altercation between Palestinians and Israeli settlers that turned violent and resulted in Israeli settlers opening fire and Palestinians hurling fireworks and rocks.
The incident intensified a recent uptick in violence that has been roiling the West Bank and Israel.
On Wednesday, the family of Matan claimed that their already dim hopes for justice had been diminished by the court's decision to place Yared under house arrest. His uncle said, "That tells you everything about the occupation that they could shoot a young, innocent man in the neck and walk home.
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Hamam added that Matan was "shy and good-natured" and had left high school to support his family by working at a spice shop in Ramallah. He had just recently gotten married. He declared, "Our entire country is in mourning."
Yared and Yehiel Indore, two Israeli settlers, have been charged by the police with murder, obstructing justice, and carrying out an arson attack with a nationalist motive. The defendants assert that they were defending themselves.
Yared smiled as he entered the courtroom, sporting a lime-colored knitted skullcap, long Orthodox hair locks known as payots, and a green T-shirt. Videos showed him leaving the hearing while singing and dancing while being surrounded by applauding supporters.
Yared's work as a spokesperson for a lawmaker in the far-right Jewish Power party, which is led by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, has also caused controversy in Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was propelled to power late last year with the help of ultranationalist settler leader Ben-Gvir, who is well-known for his anti-Arab rhetoric and antics. Ben-Gvir still puts pressure on his right-wing government.
Radical Jewish settler groups have stepped up their attacks on Palestinian towns and villages in recent months, attacking civilians and causing property damage. The administration of Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to take a tougher stance towards the Palestinians and exert more control over the occupied West Bank.
Ben-Gvir stated this week regarding the arrests of Yared and Yehiel on Twitter, "A Jew who defends himself and others against the murder of Palestinians is not a murder suspect, but a hero who will receive my full support."
In the 1967 Middle East conflict, Israel seized control of the West Bank, east Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. Those areas are sought after by the Palestinians for their future state.
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Rights organisations claim that the settler enterprise causes a severe power imbalance in the West Bank, where Israelis are rarely charged in civilian courts while Palestinians are tried in military ones with a very high conviction rate.
Only 7% of the more than 1,500 investigations into alleged acts of violence, criminal mischief, confiscation of Palestinian land, and other offences against Palestinian civilians conducted by Israeli citizens since 2005, according to a report by the Israeli human rights organisation Yesh Din, have resulted in indictments.