Murder in the West Bank: Two Jewish Shepherds Being Investigated. One Palestinian Dead.

I. The Murder

Friday, August 4, late evening, news broke that a 19-year-old Palestinian, Qosai Jammal Mi’tan, had been killed; allegedly shot by settlers in a field near the West Bank village of Burqa.

Saturday, August 5. Israeli police confirm that two suspects have been arrested in connection with the killing and that one is in hospital with severe head injuries. The names of both suspects are withheld. They live in a nearby illegal outpost that was built on private Palestinian land.

Saturday. Ha’aretz journalist Chaim Levinson sent a wildcard message on WhatsApp to Elisha Yered. It wasn’t a total shot in the dark. Yered is a high-profile leader among the “Hilltop Youth” and has a checkered legal history. Until two months ago he was employed as a parliamentary aide to MK Limor Son Har-Melech of the Otzma Yehudit/Jewish Power party, led by Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir.

Levinson, impersonating a cousin of the injured suspect, Yehiel Indore, wrote: “Elisha, the cops are at the hospital, what to do?”

Whoever was in possession of Elisha Yered’s phone at the time self-identified as Sukki. He made it clear to Levinson that he, Sukki, was holding the phone because Yered was one of the suspects arrested in the shooting.

Levinson published screenshots of this exchange in real-time sparking a social media storm. We have translated the most pertinent bits:

Levinson: Elisha. The police are at the hospital. What should I do?

Elisha Yered’s friend: Who is this?

Levinson: This is Moshe, cousin of [blacked out]. I can’t answer. They are at the entrance to the hospital ward.

Elisha’s friend:  Tell everyone not to say a word until we’ve spoken with Nati Rom, our lawyer. Don’t say a word to them. Nati is on his way to you.

The rest of the conversations underscore the importance of not speaking to the police until their lawyer arrives. Mention is made of the fact that the police have “the” weapon in their custody.

II. Who is Elisha Yered?