Defense Minister Yoav Gallant approved on Sunday the administrative detention of five right-wing rioters, according to Israeli media.
The group was arrested in connection with the spree of settler violence following the murder of 14-year-old Binyamin Achimair in the West Bank earlier this month.
They are charged with inciting a series of disturbances, during which two Palestinians were shot, as well as setting fire to Palestinian property.
The group ranges from a 16-year-old minor to a father of four.
They received administrative detentions for three to six months, some reentering the detention only a year after being released.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called the arrests “Gallant’s persecution of the settlers.” He continued saying, “The wave of administrative arrest warrants for settlers in the West Bank is politics in the guise of security.”
Riots following the discovery of a body
Achimair went missing on Apri 12, and a massive manhunt was called just as the sun began to set on Friday.
After an intense 24-hour search by security and rescue forces in the West Bank, his body was discovered near the villages of Duma and Al-Mughayyir.
Settlers in the region rioted following the discovery of the body; the villages of Duma and Al-Mughayyir were attacked, and homes and cars were set alight.
Two Palestinians were killed in the chaos, with both the IDF and settlers blaming each other. Troops who had been called to break up the disruption discovered the bodies of the two Palestinians with gunshot wounds.
The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that 16 people needed medical treatment. There were also reports of houses and vehicles set on fire by settlers in the villages of Kusra and Beit Furik.
Further attacks were reported in villages in the surrounding area. In a separate incident, a Palestinian was also attacked with stones as he drove his car in the Yitzhar area.
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