Police from the Shi'ite District arrested five residents of the settlement of Yitzhar in Samaria last night, on suspicion of involvement in disturbances and vandalism of an IDF post early Tuesday morning.
Four of the detainees are young people aged 18 to 23, and one is a 16-year-old boy.
The suspects will be brought in this morning for further investigation.
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The five who were arrested join three other detainees who were already arrested yesterday on suspicion of involvement in the incident: a man in his 40s from Yitzhar, a 20-year-old from Havat Gilad, and a 16-year-old boy.
The boy, suspected of throwing stones at security forces as they were working to demolish illegal structures in the town, was arrested yesterday morning and his detention has been extended until tomorrow.
The police stated that additional arrests are expected.
The police claim that a squad post of reserve soldiers, located outside the settlement, was destroyed by right-wing activists in revenge for the destruction of buildings in the settlement. The activists destroyed the tent where eight reserve soldiers were sleeping at the time and vandalized all the equipment on site. Among other things, they overturned the chemical toilets and punctured the tires of the vehicles parked there.
This was while earlier, while the houses were being demolished, hundreds of people - according to the security forces - threw stones, burned tires and blocked roads. Six Border Police officers were slightly injured during the clashes. The forces on the spot responded to the rioters with riot dispersal measures.
The line of action against IDF sparked public criticism, including among the community's leaders. Members of the Yitzhar secretariat sent a letter to residents yesterday, in which they clarified their position against harming the security forces, and even threatened to resign.
