National Union Chairman Knesset Member Betzalel Smotrich today tried to reach the scene of the accident in Binyamin in which Ahuvya Sandak was killed during a police chase.
A policeman at the scene tried to prevent Smotrich's approach, despite the immunity granted him as a Knesset Member. The policeman tried to interdict the Knesset Member bodily and threatened him, "You'll be arrested."
"It's sad to have to say this: The Israel Police is subject to the law, including the law regarding immunity for Knesset Members, and must obey it. The rude attempt to prevent me from entering the area of the incident is serious and I intend to contact the Knesset Speaker with a demand to address a systemic issue," Smotrich said.
MK Smotrich warned against whitewashing the findings and said “the police chase in Binyamin that ended in a serious accident and a boy killed is a serious incident that must be fully investigated. The police have clear procedures in this matter and there is grave fear that they were violated, which led to the tragic result.
"From the information that came to me at this moment, the police closed the arena and prevented even ZAKA members from dealing with the dead, and there's a fear of sanitizing the findings in the arena," he added.
"Looking ahead and in order to avoid a severe crisis of confidence, I call on the police to allow the settlement representatives to enter the scene to prevent disruption of the investigation. The Police Investigations Department must get involved in the incident immediately," said MK Smotrich.
Preliminary investigations indicate that Judea/Samaria detectives carried out a vehicular chase of youths throwing stones. As a result of the chase, the boys' vehicle lost control and veered off the road.
Four wounded were evacuated to hospitals in Jerusalem in moderate and mild condition and the death of one 19-year-old, Ahuvya Sandak from Bat Ayin, was declared on the spot. The victim was extracted from under the overturned vehicle only about an hour after the accident.
Advocate Nati Rom of the Honenu organization met the injured at Hadassah Hospital on Mount Scopus in Jerusalem. The injured claimed that the accident occurred after the police car rammed their vehicle with force from the back, and from the impact, their vehicle flew off the road.
Honenu leagl aid organization Chairman Shmuel (Zangi) Medad responded to the incident: "This horror should shake the foundations of the Israel Police and the Internal Security Ministry. And so all the echelons that guide such murderous behavior and disburse them huge budgets."
Judea/Samaria District Police responded: "Following a report received at the police station about stone-throwing from an Israeli vehicle at a Palestinian vehicle at the Michmash Junction, a team of detectives who was on their way nearby identified the vehicle that threw stones and ordered it to stop.
"The driver of the vehicle started a wild chase and despite the police ordering him to stop, he continued on the chase with the detective vehicle following him. Near Rimonim Junction, the vehicle overturned and as a result of the rollover, 4 of the vehicle's occupants were lightly injured and evacuated to hospital, where one passenger was pronounced dead."