Honenu Attorney Nati Rom; Photo credit: Honenu
Sunday, December 1, 2024, 11:09 Last Thursday, the Rishon LeTzion Magistrates Court released Dr. Michael Wolfowicz of Hebrew University to house arrest. Dr. Wolfowicz, who volunteers with the border police, was detained two days prior as part of an investigation by the Police Investigation Unit and Military Criminal Investigation Division. The investigation concerned an incident in which an Arab claimed that he was assaulted by police officers and soldiers at Nahal Yitav, a stream known as Wadi Ouja in Arabic. Dr. Wolfowicz denies all charges against him. Honenu Attorney Nati Rom is representing Dr. Wolfowicz.
The police appealed the decision. However, the Central District Court in Lod upheld the lower court’s decision in a hearing last Friday. The courts ruled that there is no evidence indicating that Dr. Wolfowicz was involved in the assault. Also, contrary to various publications, he was never suspected of the serious crimes of abduction and conspiracy to commit a crime, unlike other suspects in the case.
Attorney Rom announced that he is considering filing a defamation suit: “A great injustice has been done to a man who has an untarnished reputation. Dr. Wolfowicz is a serious, world-renowned academic, who has contributed over 250 days of reserve duty to the State of Israel since the start of the war. He also volunteers in the border police. Unfortunately, his name has been connected to this incident, despite the courts ruling one after the other that he had not assaulted anyone. From the start, nobody had accused him of abduction. Unfortunately, various publications distorted the facts and seriously damaged Dr. Wolfowicz’s character and career. We will gather material, and we will consider suing for libel anyone who damaged his good name.”