Yitzhar resident indicted after armed sheep search erupts into violence in Huwara, West Bank

Uriah Cohen, a 38-year-old resident of Yitzhar, faces indictment for his alleged role in a violent incident in the West Bank town of Huwara. Prosecutors claim that on June 6, Cohen blocked a Palestinian vehicle with his own car, pointed an assault rifle at its occupants, and fired into the air. The incident occurred while Cohen and another individual, Yakir, were searching for sheep that had strayed from Tzafnat Farm, an agricultural outpost near Tapuah Junction.

The indictment details how Cohen, accompanied by a masked man, drove into Huwara and deliberately obstructed a Hyundai with Palestinian registration plates. After the collision, Cohen and the masked man allegedly exited their vehicles, ordered the occupants out, and threatened them with their weapons. Cohen is accused of firing into the air, and the masked man is alleged to have fired toward the fleeing vehicle.

The situation escalated when additional individuals arrived, including Yakir. According to the charge sheet, this group approached another Hyundai carrying two Huwara residents. They allegedly pulled the two men from their car and proceeded to beat them with fists, a club, and a rifle butt. One of the victims sustained severe injuries, including bleeding in the brain and fractures to his face, requiring hospitalization in intensive care. The second man also suffered injuries.

Cohen is not directly charged with carrying out the beating, but the indictment states he pulled away one of the assailants during the assault. Prosecutors are seeking his detention until the end of legal proceedings. He faces charges including firing a weapon in a residential area, threats, reckless endangerment, and obstruction of justice.