Honenu Attorney Moshe Poleski; Photo credit: Honenu
Thursday, February 6, 2025, 13:14 The State Attorney’s office indicted a Shomron resident charged with opening fire on Arab olive harvesters near Havat Gilad in the Shomron four months ago. Honenu Attorney Moshe Poleski, who is representing the resident, leveled sharp criticism at the State Attorney’s office for accepting the Arabs’ claims without giving due consideration to the testimony of the defendant and other Shomron residents who felt that their lives were endangered by the Arabs who had arrived at the site without the usual army escort.
Attorney Poleski stated, “The State Attorney’s office accepted the Arabs’ testimony in its entirely while completely ignoring all of the many testimonies from Havat Gilad residents. They described a massive barrage of rocks hurled at the defendant. The defendant felt that his life was endangered and therefore opened fire into the air to repel the Arab olive harvesters. He also fired warning shots at the ground. The Arabs arrived on the scene without an army escort and without the knowledge of the brigade commander of the local military zone. The defendant felt that his life and the lives of other members of the community were endangered. The magistrates and district court had very good reason to release the defendant early in his detention. The courts ruled that there were no grounds to leave the defendant in remand.”