Honenu Attorney Keidar; Photo credit: Honenu
Sunday, February 23, 2025, 13:55 Two years ago, an Israeli citizen posted a response on Twitter to a tweet by opposition chairman Yair Lapid on the subject of judicial reform. Several weeks later, the citizen was detained at his home by police officers in front of his family. He was taken to the police station, where he was briefly interrogated on suspicion of threatening Lapid. In addition, his legally-owned personal weapon was confiscated. Afterward, he was released to his home. Three months later, he was informed that the case against him had been closed due to lack of criminal culpability. Over the course of a year since the case closing, the citizen repeatedly asked the Ministry of National Security and the Israel Police to return his weapon, citing that because he lives near the seam zone, the weapon is necessary for the defense of his family. His requests were refused.
Two months ago, Honenu Attorney Adi Keidar petitioned the Central District Court on behalf of the citizen for the return of his weapon. The court accepted the request and ordered the police to return the weapon. Following the court’s ruling, the weapon was returned to the citizen within the past few days.
Attorney Keidar commented on the case: “We cannot accept the ease with which the authorities confiscated a citizen’s weapon, an essential weapon that he needs for the protection of his family. The response that my client posted is unequivocally protected under freedom of expression, and the court confirmed it. I hope that the court’s ruling will send a clear message to the State of Israel, and that instances such as this will not reoccur.”