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Israel detains alleged Jewish extremist without trial for six months

By Tomas Monzon
Thousands of Israelis protest against Jewish terror and homophobia in Zion Square in Jerusalem, Israel, Aug. 1, 2015. The demonstrators condemned Thursday's stabbing attack of six participants in Jerusalem's Gay Pride parade by an Ultra-Orthodox Jew and Friday's arson terror attack by Jewish extremists that resulted in the death of 18-month-old Palestinian baby Ali Dawabsha in the West Bank. Photo by Debbie Hill/ UPI
Thousands of Israelis protest against Jewish terror and homophobia in Zion Square in Jerusalem, Israel, Aug. 1, 2015. The demonstrators condemned Thursday's stabbing attack of six participants in Jerusalem's Gay Pride parade by an Ultra-Orthodox Jew and Friday's arson terror attack by Jewish extremists that resulted in the death of 18-month-old Palestinian baby Ali Dawabsha in the West Bank. Photo by Debbie Hill/ UPI | License Photo

DUMA, West Bank, Aug. 5 (UPI) -- A Palestinian man connected with one of two recent arson cases in the West Bank was jailed Tuesday for up to six months without trial.

The order was signed by Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon. Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein had earlier legalized the issuance of administrative detention orders against believed threats, which allowed Ya'alon's order to be issued.

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Mordechai Meir was placed on house arrest Monday and then physically arrested on Tuesday. A second suspect, Aviatar Slonim, was also arrested based on alleged involvement in a radical Jewish organization. Both men were prohibited from traveling to Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem.

The arson that Meir is connected to took place in June, when fire caused extensive damage to the Church of Loaves on Fishes in northern Israel. The church is a traditional pilgrimage site which was defaced with Hebrew lettering on the walls before the fire, confirming the deliberate nature of the incident. At the time, the Rabbis for Human Rights group said 43 hate crimes had been committed against places of worship in Israel, the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 2009.

Yet another arson case took place in Duma on July 31. An 18-month-old Palestinian boy, Ali Saad Dawabsheh, was burned to death as his parents and 4-year-old brother also sustained injuries that almost covered the entirety of their bodies. The arson took place despite heightened tensions in the West Bank, with Hamas calling for protests on July 31 for the recent murders of three Palestinians.

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Graffiti messages like those in the church also showed up on the Dawabsheh's home, reading "revenge" and "long live messiah the king." Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas blamed extremist Israelis for the attack, as did Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Honenu, an Israeli organization that seeks to "protect and preserve" the rights of detainees, criticized the order and said that Meir's upgrade to a full arrest is indicative of a populist agenda within law enforcement. It called the approach "draconian" and a circumvention of the court system. Meir and Slonim's arrests follow that of Meir Ettinger, who was arrested based on his alleged involvement in nationalist crimes. Arrested in Tzfat, Ettinger was earlier banned from Judea and Samaria in January.

Protests against the arson that took Dawabsheh's life took place in Jerusalem's Zion Square on Aug. 1. The demonstrations also criticized the stabbing of six individuals partaking in Jerusalem's Gay Pride Parade on July 30.

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