Illegal Blockage of the Entrance to the Village of Fureidis

Fureidis. © Yoav Sinai | Dreamstime.com

On the afternoon of October 24, 2025, the police placed a concrete barrier at the entrance to the village of Fureidis, home to approximately 15,000 people, completely blocking the eastern entrance to the village. According to a news report, the barrier was installed following complaints by the residents of nearby Zikhron Ya’akov to the Minister of National Security regarding gunfire, to which the Minister responded by instructing the Police Commissioner to "act vigorously." Only after the article was published did the police comment, stating that the barrier was installed in light of an increase in shootings and crime in the village. The barrier was removed the next day, but the concrete blocks were left on the roadside, raising fears that it would be reinstalled. 

On October 26, 2025, ACRI appealed to the Attorney General, the Police Commissioner, and the Legal Advisor to the Police. In the appeal, Yaser Abu Arieesha and Attorney Nitsan Ilani argued that the placement of the barrier, which paralyzed a main traffic artery and completely blocked the eastern entrance to the village, was a major infringement on the fundamental rights of the village’s residents, particularly the right to freedom of movement and human dignity, and was a major disruption to their daily routines. The decision to install a barrier was unreasonable and disproportionate. Moreover, since there is nothing that legally grants the police the authority to place a barrier to block the entry and exit to an area in Israel, the police did not have the authority to install the barrier in the first place.  

Because Fureidis is an Arab village, rather than investigating and dealing with the actual crimes that have taken place, the police instead imposed a collective punishment on the 15,000 residents, the overwhelming majority of whom are law-abiding citizens. We demanded that the entire chain of command for the police be instructed not to block the village’s entrance again, and the immediate removal of the concrete barriers that remain. 

ACRI's appeal, October 26, 2025 (Heb)