Susiya farmer attacked by settlers and arrested by police

On 30th September, at approximately 10am, Josef Imrat, a farmer from Susiya, was tending his flock of sheep near the outpost of Old Susiya.

Two settlers attacked Josef, throwing stones and attempted to steal some of his sheep while shouting abusive words in Hebrew. The residents of the nearby camp were alerted and came to assist Josef. The settlers then ran away towards the outpost of Old Susiya.

A local resident called the police. While waiting for the police, the settlers, who were previously involved in the attack, drove past, giving a bystander a chance to take pictures of them on a mobile phone. The army, who attended the scene of the attack first, told the residents that the police would know the names of the settlers. However, when the police arrived, they said they didn’t know any of settlers from the outpost and refused to accept the photograph taken by the mobile phone as an evidence of the attack.

Josef was later arrested when he went to give his statement to the local police station, as the settlers apparently told the police that it was Josef who attacked them. By 5.30pm that day Josef still had not been released from the police station despite the attempts of the members of the local community to negotiate his release with the police.