Sunday, September 18, 2022, 11:43 Approximately two months ago, the police impounded cars belonging to Yeshivat Homesh that were parked at the entrance to Homesh. Some of the cars have been returned to the yeshiva, and today the Petah Tikva Magistrates Court ordered the police to return another one. As of now, more than four cars that had been impounded by the IDF and the border police as a means of harassing the students of Yeshivat Homesh have been returned.
At the hearing, the police claimed that the car had been driven to run a checkpoint. A representative of the police stated that because the investigation was ongoing, they would not return the car to its owner and they intended to keep the car until the end of the investigation.
Honenu Attorney Adi Keidar, who is representing Yeshivat Homesh, stated at the hearing that the car was impounded while it was parked and that the owner had not been asked about it for the investigation. Keidar added that without evidence that the car had been involved in a criminal incident, there were no grounds for the police to impound it. Keidar cited that on the same day, other cars were impounded by the police and returned immediately, without a hearing or the need to file a request.
At the hearing, it turned out that the police action report about the incident mentioned that the impounded car was a Toyota whereas the subject of the hearing was a Nissan. The police had made an error, and the car had not been involved in any crime. The court acquiesced to the request from Keidar and ordered the police to return the car to its owner.
Honenu Attorney Adi Keidar: “This was a serious violation of the proprietary rights of citizens who were not suspected of anything. It turned out that the police did not have a warrant of any sort. Without any authority, they took the law into their own hands and took property without the owner’s permission or knowledge, based on various and sundry claims. The court accepted our petition and our request and ruled that the evidence is weak. That is insufficient, and we will continue to petition until all of the cars are unconditionally released. If necessary, we will file a civil suit on the matter.”
Yeshivat Homesh administrator Shmuel Wende added: “The abuse by the police of the yeshiva students knows no limit. They have confiscated equipment, impounded cars, destroyed structures, and prevented entry of basic supplies. The time has come to stop the harassment. G-d willing, we will continue to resolutely hold on to Homesh, to grow, and to develop.”