Arab Caught Surveilling Itamar, IDF Frees Him

Unbelievable: Arab, allowed into Itamar's territory "to harvest olives,"
caught looking at Jewish homes through binoculars - and freed.

By Gil Ronen Arutz Sheva
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/148885

Six months after the shocking murder of five members of the Fogel family in
the settlement of Itamar, residents caught an Arab man conducting
surveillance on their homes and security system.

The man is a resident of Beit Furik who was brought into Itamar's territory,
supposedly to harvest olives, with IDF accompaniment. He was caught
red-handed as he was viewing the settlement's homes and defense setup with
binoculars. The community's security officers and military forces, who spotted the Arab, captured him. However, an officer from the IDF Coordination and Liaison Office who was on location overseeing the olive harvest insisted on freeing him. He claimed that the Arabs were not informed in advance of regulations regarding what they are permitted to bring with them to the olive harvest
and what they may not bring.

The IDF's decision and explanation caused particular anger and frustration
because one of the Fogel's murderers, Hakim Awad, had gathered intelligence
on the community when he was allowed near it for the olive harvest. When he
and his cousin Amjad entered the community and carried out the massacre,
they did so after gaining knowledge and familiarity with the settlement
during the olive harvest.




A week ago, the IDF Civil Administration brought in family members of the
murderers who carried out the slaughter in Itamar -- the Awad clan -- for
the olive harvest, within the border fences of Itamar, a move that caused an
uproar in the settlement and a demonstration by the residents headed by
Tamar Fogel, which forced the Civil Administration to remove the murderers'
clan from within the settlement's territory. The Arabs taunted their Jewish
neighbors and promised them "more Fogels."




The head of the Samaria Regional Council reacted harshly to the way the
olive harvest was conducted:




"This is irresponsibility of the first order and a scandal that cries out to
the heavens. Exactly a year ago I warned the commanders in the military
echelons and the Civil Administration that terrorists are liable to use the
olive harvest to gather intelligence before attacks. Despite all the
warnings, hundreds of Arabs from the village of Awarta freely entered Itamar
for the olive harvest, among them the murderer Hakim Awad, who gathered
intelligence before the slaughter.




"I would expect that at least for this year this matter will be dealt with
logically," Mesika said.

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