Half a year on, Duma ‘suspect’ found innocent of all charges

Lawyers fuming after Shin Bet finally admit youth leader with outstanding national service was detained for no reason whatsoever.

By Orli Harari, INN

Half a year after he was arrested by the Shin Bet security services, interrogated for days, and accused of being a “Jewish terrorist,” Israel’s prosecution service has confirmed what Netanel Furkowitz’s defense team have said all along: that the youth leader from the Samaria community of Kochav Hashachar is innocent of any wrongdoing, and had no connection whatsoever to the deadly arson attack in the Palestinian village of Duma last summer.

Responding to a petition from Attorney Adi Kedar of the Honenu legal rights organization, the prosecution said they had officially closed their investigation into Furkowitz, due to lack of evidence.

Furkowitz – who received an award for excellence from the president during his military service, and who had no criminal record – was arrested while on IDF reserve duty last year.

The youth leader ran an Education Ministry-sponsored program training Jewish shepherds and was well known for his positive work with local “hilltop youth”, aiding many young Israelis from troubled backgrounds to gain steady employment and get their lives back on track.

He was held for 12 days without charge by the Shin Bet, who accused him of involvement in the deadly arson attack which killed three members of the Dawabshe family in 2015. Investigators claimed he had rented out a car to a youth from the Shiloh region who was suspected of involvement in the arson, and further claimed he knew full well of the suspect’s involvement in the attack.

Despite Furkowitz’s repeated protestations of innocence – including pointing out his public record of speaking out against “price tag” attacks – went ignored, and authorities repeatedly extended his detention on the basis of supposed “secret information” which was never revealed to his lawyers.

It was later determined by investigators that the prime suspect in the arson – Amiram Ben-Uliel – carried out the attack alone, and reached Duma by foot, not by car.

More damning still, the Shin Bet eventually admitted that the youth who bought the vehicle in question from Furkowitz was not at all involved in the arson either. He, too, was released after 21 days in custody, which included the use of violent “extraordinary interrogation” techniques.

Attorney Adi Kedar condemned the conduct of authorities in the case.

The treatment of his suspect “should keep citizens up at night – particularly residents of Judea and Samaria, who can for fabricated reasons find themselves… detained under harsh conditions, all just to serve the purposes of the Shin Ben, who knew full well that he was not involved or suspected in carrying out the crime,” said Kedar.

Honenu CEO Shmuel Medad, who supported Furkowitz and his family throughout their ordeal, added: “The question is, why?”

“Why were the (security) institutions so cruel too their own brothers; to their own soldiers and citizens?” he asked.

“And the bigger question is how should we, the public, respond? How can we stop this?”

June 19, 2016 | 10 Comments »

Subscribe to Israpundit Daily Digest

Leave a Reply

10 Comments / 10 Comments

  1. SHmuel HaLevi 2 Said:

    After Oslo the formerly credible, to an extent, Israeli command, was turned into a melange of unJewish hatched trash. They have destroyed the fighting doctrine, intentionally. Sabotaged, undermined and betrayed soldiers. And us all…

    One of the things I love about this site is getting the personal input of knowledgeable and experienced israelis. My perspective of Israel is vastly different since arriving here. I give thanks to all the Israelis contributing here for their input, and especially poor bear klein who has put up with my annoying rants for years.

  2. @ bernard ross:
    As a form of background let me say…
    I am a former IDF soldier decorated, “OT LEBANON” after the Lebanon War. I am probably still listed as an Invited Consultant to the Israel Ministry of Defence. Previously I was ranked as a Senior-Fellow Engineer US Department of Defense Military Avionics Programs.
    I know military organizations and rank and file soldiering.
    POINT BLANK…
    After Oslo the formerly credible, to an extent, Israeli command, was turned into a melange of unJewish hatched trash. They have destroyed the fighting doctrine, intentionally. Sabotaged, undermined and betrayed soldiers. And us all…
    I was in my town during the Lebanon II war which was run by Olmert, Halutz, Peretz and other such luminaries, including livni. Ir was a veritable shambles… Never got any better after.
    Only a system wide plowing under of senior commanders and staffers may save us from more and more failures.

  3. SHmuel HaLevi 2 Said:

    It is a natural that the Dayan, Hertzog, Weitzman and all, “dynasty”… to include other low life forms such as livni, ben ami, burg, weinstein etc.

    that may explain this:

    IDF leaders defend officer testifying in Elor Azariya trial
    http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/213849#.V2f2PfkrLIU

    It appears that these outspoken officers also defended Yaalon declaring the soldier guilty prior to the commencement of an investigation. Where were these moralists when their commander commanded them to find the soldier guilty before an investigation? where were these outspoken IDF leaders when their soldier under them was declared guilty by their commanding officer. Why didnt they open their closed mouths then?
    They are part of the crime… the crime whereby a defense minister abused the authority of his position and declared in public his desire to see a guilty verdict delivered by his military subordinates: the investigators, the prosecutors the judges… all under yaalons command.
    How can anyone take them seriously, they betrayed the rank and file soldier and rubber stamped their commanders crime. Despicable creatures!

  4. @ bernard ross:
    It is a natural that the Dayan, Hertzog, Weitzman and all, “dynasty”… to include other low life forms such as livni, ben ami, burg, weinstein etc. Naturally the “paint ball” and “rubber bullet” generalitos belong there as well. barak, halutz, ya’alon being just a few of such trash.
    Indeed we do not need islamic enemies, there is enough home grown filth such as the above to destroy the Jewish state and heritage.

  5. Hebron soldier’s commander threatened online for testifying

    Police detain, release settler for ‘incitement to violence’; IDF chief calls Maj. Tom Na’aman to express support
    http://www.timesofisrael.com/hebron-soldiers-commander-threatened-online-for-testifying/

    a settler is arrested for incitement while the criminal yaalon still walks free after inciting all the revenge stabbings of Jews with his false global declaration that jews burned a baby at duma with no evidence… an arrogant criminal who calls his crimes “ethics”.
    I feel confident that the commander heeded yaalons instructions to find the soldier guilty which yaalon proclaimed for all the world to hear… yaalon should be jailed, he is a criminal.

  6. Herzog agreed to ’67 lines in talks with Abbas, report says
    In negotiations with PA leader ahead of 2015 elections, envoy for prospective PM learned a deal was possible ‘on everything’
    http://www.timesofisrael.com/herzog-agreed-to-67-lines-in-talks-with-abbas-report-says/

    the “zionist” party whose only platform and agenda is to give as much of Israel and the Jewish heritage as quickly as possible to the muslims for their home.
    He even seeks to give away the temple.

    Isaac Herzog spokesman calls settlers ‘murderers,’ apologizes

    Opposition leader disavows Ofer Newman’s post accusing West Bank Israelis of building swimming pools ‘on the blood of murdered children’

    http://www.timesofisrael.com/isaac-herzog-spokesman-calls-settlers-murderers-apologizes/

    these are the types of filthy low lives that hang around herzog like flies to horseshit. They sound just like the murdering muslims…. low life scum. It must be difficult to fight in an army to protect the lives of such traitorous scum.

  7. the low life yaalon should be in jail for having abused his power to lock up innocent people with no evidence, knowing likely that they were innocent. I do not understand why Israelis dont demand that he be investigated and tried for abuse of authority and false incarceration. He should be made to be in administrative detention and subject to vigorous questioning until he admits his crimes. He has done the same to the soldier… no one can trust that cabal of commanders at the top who turned on their troops in the field at the command of their leader yaalon. I would not want any of them at my back.

  8. @ yamit82:
    Hola Yamit! Great hearing from you.
    Correct you are about the subsystems serving certain self appointed “elites”. You remember of course that we both set aside the “right” or “left” label games long ago.
    The true setting is, as it has been for long, the Jews and others who chose to be “led” by renegades,unJews.

  9. As we informed out of awareness, information and deductions, the Duma arson was a well organized provocation act with tragic consequences. Quite likely the product of a combination of “work” by Hamas and PLO services and the Jewish Sektion.
    So far only one suspect is still set up by the Shin Bet.
    The renegade unJews favored by Weinstein tortured those Jews they set upon.
    Out of the disgraces led by Ya’alon shrill declarations, little if anything remain credible.
    Their infamous, insolent accusations have been proven again a sham. Those sections involved must be dismantled and the involved brought to trial in NEWLY elected courts.