Settler teen held for leafleting near police prosecutor's home

Settler teen held for le

By YAAKOV LAPPIN
A 16-year-old boy from the Yitzhar settlement was arrested in Petah Tikva and indicted on Tuesday for distributing leaflets criticizing a Judea and Samaria Police prosecutor. Police have been investigating in recent months dozens of settlers who pay weekly visits to a right-wing activist held at the Hadarim Prison, and then gather outside the Petah Tikva home of Ch.-Supt. Shir Laufer, head prosecutor for the Judea and Samaria Police District. The teenager is suspected of leafleting Laufer's whole street with A4-sized fliers proclaiming that the police prosecutor represents a state system that is in conflict with the Torah. The leaflets inform residents of the street that Laufer is their neighbor, and accuses her of direct involvement in abuse by Israel Police officers of settlers. It alleges discrimination against settlers that favors Palestinians in the West Bank, adding that land is being "given to the Arabs and this is clearly contrary to the Torah." The leaflet also accuses Laufer of "cooperating with the same police who persecute those protesting against the desecration of the Sabbath," and urges her to be "pure with herself" and not to follow "power-hungry government officials." Jewish thinkers in history have "opposed cooperation with hostile regimes that persecute Jews," the leaflet said. "We cannot sign this letter because we fear that Laufer and the violent system she is tied to will harm us." Sharon District Police said in a statement, "We believe the leaflets contained veiled threats and insulted a public worker." They added that "the suspect denies the suspicions against him." He was served with an indictment on Tuesday afternoon at the Petah Tikva Magistrate's Court, and released to house arrest in Yitzhar, south of Nablus. "We view this incident as a crossing of clear lines... and an invasion of the private life of a public worker. We take a severe view of this," Sharon Police spokesman Insp. Zivan Freidin said.