IDF investigation contradicts initial account of PA detention in Binyamin
An IDF investigation found that Palestinian Authority security forces set up a checkpoint this week in Area C in the Binyamin Region, where they are not authorized to operate, and unlawfully detained IDF reservist Shlomo Rosenthal while he traveled on the “Strongholds Route.” The investigation found that the officers arrested Rosenthal on their own initiative before handing him over to the IDF.
The findings disprove the initial account that PA forces arrived to rescue Rosenthal after he was assaulted by an Arab mob. They support the main points of Rosenthal’s account, which he recounted following the incident.
Rosenthal said he encountered a roadblock near Beitunia Junction and was initially unsure whether the officers were Israeli. After they identified themselves as PA forces, he said they blocked and surrounded him, attacked him, sprayed him with pepper spray, and kicked him in the face. He said they broke his glasses and took his phone, car keys and gun before removing him from his vehicle, handcuffing him and placing him in their police car.
He denied that an Arab gathering had threatened him or that the officers had rescued him. They drove him about 30 minutes to a PA police station in Ramallah, where he was not taken inside. He later spoke with an Israeli COGAT representative and was transferred to IDF forces.
Rosenthal had also rejected claims that he entered Palestinian territory, noting that the Strongholds Route is in Area C and that he had driven there previously.
The investigation confirmed the roadblock was in Area C, that the PA officers were operating without authority and that they detained Rosenthal rather than protecting him from an attack. His vehicle was later returned by the IDF and police.
Through Honenu’s Department for Victims of Hostile Acts, Rosenthal called on Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth to arrest the PA officers involved.
Binyamin Regional Council head and Yesha Council chairman Yisrael Ganz welcomed the findings, saying they confirmed Rosenthal was abducted, beaten and had his weapon stolen. Ganz called for practical action, including ending coordination with the PA, arresting and prosecuting the officers in Israel, and a Civil Administration review.
He warned that without action, attempts to erode Israeli sovereignty near the Tel Aviv metropolitan area would continue and intensify.
