European left-wing activist arrested on suspicion of harassing a child; 'Breaking the Silence' claimed: 'He was kidnapped'

A European left-wing activist was arrested on Saturday near the Barkai neighborhood at the entrance to the settlement of Carmel, following an incident in which he was filmed pressing himself against a 10-year-old Jewish child in a manner that raised suspicion of sexual harassment. The child's father filed a complaint with the police, and the suspect was detained at the scene until the arrival of police officers. He was subsequently arrested and transferred for questioning.

The incident began when three children aged 10 to 12 were making their way from the settlement of Carmel towards the Barkai neighborhood. At a distance of about 50 meters from the neighborhood, the children encountered Palestinians and foreign left-wing activists who were at the scene, and at a certain point, they began to obstruct their passage. During the friction, the suspect was filmed pressing himself against the 10-year-old child, in a manner that led to a suspicion of sexual harassment.

Residents of the neighborhood, who noticed what was happening and the children's distress, arrived at the scene and detained the suspect until the arrival of security forces. The police arrested him, and at the same time, the child's father filed an official complaint.

The Barkai neighborhood is located at the entrance to Carmel, near a cluster of Palestinian houses built in the area over the years and outside the built-up continuity of the village. European left-wing activists who live alongside the Palestinians and operate within the framework of what they define as "protective presence" are also staying at the site.

The prolonged activity of these activists in the area also raises questions regarding the status in which they are staying in Israel. Tourist visas are intended for visiting and tourism, and the Population and Immigration Authority requires, among other things, a specification of the purpose of the visit. In practice, some of the activists stay in the area for a long time and take part in political activity on the ground alongside the Palestinians.

The head of the Hebron Hills Regional Council, Eliram Azulai, attacked the activity of these activists in the area following the incident:

"We are experiencing a long period of provocations by anti-Israel activists who live near the Barkai neighborhood and try in every way to disrupt the daily routine of the residents."

According to him, "This time it is a crossing of a dangerous and criminal red line that should not be ignored. Harming children is a serious crime, and we expect the Israel Police and the judicial system to exhaust the full severity of the law with the attacker, without compromises."

However, parallel to the suspect's arrest, the CEO of "Breaking the Silence", Nadav Weiman, published a completely different version online. Weiman wrote that "settlers kidnapped an international protective presence activist from the Palestinian village of Umm al-Khair", and claimed that "settler children from the outpost stole a ball from Palestinian children and then called armed adults who kidnapped the activist". He further wrote: "Pay attention to the settler children in the video, this is how their parents educate them".

However, the activist did not disappear and was not left in the hands of the residents. He was detained at the scene until the arrival of the police, arrested by the officers, and transferred for questioning following the complaint filed after the incident with the child.