Israeli reservist beaten and detained by Palestinian Authority police

An Israeli reserve soldier, Shlomo Rosenthal, was beaten, disarmed, and detained by Palestinian Authority (PA) police on Sunday night near Beitunia. The incident occurred at an unauthorized roadblock in Area C of the West Bank, a region under Israeli security control according to the Oslo Accords.

Rosenthal reported that after realizing the checkpoint was manned by Palestinian rather than Israeli officers, he was surrounded by approximately 30 armed police. During the confrontation, officers reportedly pepper-sprayed him, beat him, and seized his army-issued firearm, phone, and car keys. He was handcuffed and driven into Area A toward Ramallah, where he was held for approximately one hour before being transferred to the Israel Defense Forces.

Legal counsel Chaim Bleicher of the Honenu organization described the event as an extremely serious incident, noting that Rosenthal suffered bruising and facial burns from the pepper spray. A formal demand for the arrest of the officers involved has been sent to Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth.