Last update - 00:00 29/08/2007
IDF major jailed for 28 days after mistakenly entering Jenin
By Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondent
An Israel Defense Forces officer who mistakenly entered the West Bank city of Jenin two days ago was jailed Wednesday for 28 days by a military court.
He was found to have contravened orders on the safety of vehicles traveling in the West Bank. The hearing was presided over by Colonel Motti Almoz, a senior officer in the Central Command.
The officer, Major Razi Raveh of the Central Command, was rescued by Palestinian Authority security officials and handed over to the IDF. (For more, watch Haaretz.com TV)
The officer was on his way to visit a base in the Mevo-Dotan settlement west of Jenin when he chose a prohibited route north of Shavei Shomron.
At the intersection east of Shavei Shomron, he passed through a roadblock whose soldiers are supposed to stop unauthorized people from driving north. For some reason the soldiers did not stop the officer, perhaps because of his rank.
The officer ignored the regulations and signposts forbiding Israelis to travel in a single, unprotected car on the road between the former Homesh settlement and the Tank intersection.
At the Tank intersection, the officer made a mistake and instead of turning west continued driving north into Jenin.
Youths who saw the car enter the city called others, and soon a crowed gathered round the car. People started throwing stones at it, and some tried to attack the officer.
A Palestinian policeman passing by rushed to the officer's aid, and managed to bring him safely to the Muqata compound, which serves as the Palestinian Authority's security headquarters. From there the police brought him to the roadblock at the city's northeastern entrance, where they handed him over to the IDF.