Original Social Media Post

"The Robbers - the Police - and the Stolen Flock The Israel Police does not investigate the settlers’ crimes as a matter of deliberate policy of foot-dragging, even when the crimes are perpetrated before their open eyes. On Friday, March 7th, a planned and well organized armed robbery of over 1000 livestock - sheep and goats - took place in the village Ras Al-ain/Al-auja located north of Jericho. About two weeks later, on Friday March 21st (yesterday), a group of journalists accompanied by human rights activists toured the area of the expelled Bedouin village of Ras al-tin in order to gather information for a report on the robbery of the livestock. The activists belong to the southern Hebron, southern Jordan Valley and “Looking Occupation in the Eye” activists groups. The Palestinians had grounds to suspect that the flock was now located in the vicinity of Ras-al tin. The journalists collected testimony regarding the markings of the herds, and were given photographs of the flock and two dogs that disappeared together with them. When the group arrived at the area, they ran into a herd of about 100 sheep and a few goats. ]. The groups documented the sheep that bore the markings described by their owners. The settlers claim these sheep belong to them. Some of the sheep bore the palestinian markings, while other sheep bore the markings used by the settlers (an earring with a numbered tag.) It seems that the stolen herds have been commingled into the settlers’ herds. Once the journalists documented the marked sheep, they intended to leave, but young settlers that arrived from an outpost a few kilometers away, physically blocked the group from leaving. The settlers also tried to detain one of the photographers. The Police and army forces were summoned by the activists. Upon arrival, they only took the testimony of the settlers and as is their practice detained an activist and a German journalist for a police interrogation based on false excuses and accusations. The two people detained were released a few hours later. Now that the Israeli Police have in their possession concrete information regarding the whereabouts of some of the stolen livestock, we would like to think they would be motivated to begin an investigation and perhaps locate the rest of the missing flock. We would hope that, for a change, they would fulfill their responsibilities to carry out justice and right the wrong perpetrated against the rightful owners of the animals that were stolen that night. Ironically, at the time of the robbery - the police arrested none of the perpetrators and instead arrested one of the victims whose herd had been stolen… Apartheid." - Source

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