Hundreds protest after Israeli suspected of stabbing Palestinian denied access to attorney

Israeli who fatally stabbed Palestinian denied legal counsel, sparking concerns from right-wing MKs.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

Hundreds of Israelis protested outside of the police station in Ariel on Saturday evening, where an Israeli man suspected of stabbing a Palestinian to death has been held without access to legal counsel since last Thursday.

Last week, an Israeli man fatally stabbed Ali Hassan Harb, 28, during a massive brawl which saw some 40 Israelis and Palestinians fighting near Ariel, in northern Samaria.

The Hamas terror group claimed the slain man as a member of their organization, releasing a martyrdom poster with Harb’s face superimposed against the Dome of the Rock the day after his death.

Police arrested an Israeli man, whose name has not been cleared for publication, who they suspect stabbed Harb. Notably, the investigation is being spearheaded by the Israeli Security Agency (ISA), an entity which typically deals with terror suspects and better known by its Hebrew acronym, the Shin Bet.

The Shin Bet has denied the Israeli man access to an attorney. Israeli law guarantees suspected criminals legal counsel as a right, save for exceptional situations of terror and threats to national security.

Thr Shin Bet’s involvement and refusal to allow the man to speak with a lawyer suggest that the investigation is being treated as a terror incident.

MK Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionism) expressed concern over the investigation in a statement, saying that “the ISA is under Naftali Bennett’s direct control, the body responsible for complaints of those under investigation is under Gideon Sa’ar, and yet they are more concerned with political spins than protecting Jews!”

On Saturday evening, a large crowd of protesters, estimated to number in the hundreds, gathered outside of the Ariel police station and called upon the authorities to allow the man legal counsel, Kan reported.

“The conditions under which he is being held are inappropriate. It’s not ethical,” rebel Yamina MK Idit Silman said at the protest.

“Thank you for coming out to support him. Most importantly, you’re fighting for our homeland. We will fight together,” she added.

On Sunday afternoon, Israeli police arrested the first Palestinians suspected of being involved in the brawl, all of whom are relatives of the man who was killed.