Honenu Attorneys Rom and Keidar; Photo credit: Honenu
Friday, August 11, 2023, 14:55 In a hearing today (Friday) the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court partially accepted the request by the police to extend Yehiel Indor’s remand by ten days and extended it by five days only. The police dropped the charges of racially motivated murder and arson against Indor and he is currently suspected of lesser offenses. Shortly after the hearing began, representatives from the Yehuda and Shomron Police entered the judge’s chambers and presented evidence in the absence of Honenu Attorneys Rom and Keidar. The representatives also confirmed during the hearing that, contrary to the falsehoods publicized in social media and in the press, Indor was not masked.
Yehiel Indor’s serious head injury; Photo credit: Free use
Because of his medical condition, Indor, who is still hospitalized at Sha’arei Tzedek Hospital, was not present at the hearing. Honenu Attorneys Nati Rom and Adi Keidar represented him. The judge ruled that Indor’s house arrest does not show that his claim of self-defense has been completely rejected or contradicted. Indor was seriously injured in an attack by dozens of rioting Arabs near Oz Tzion and opened fire in the defense of himself and others. One rioter was reported to have been killed.
Attorney Keidar stated after the hearing, “Although the outcome was disappointing, in our opinion, the court has not rejected the narrative of self-defense. It was explicitly stated so in court. Fresh evidence has been discovered, and the court thinks it is important to keep investigating. The court allowed it, and we will consider appealing this decision.”
“In any event, one must understand from what happened at the hearing that the investigation is still completely one-sided. The investigating authorities are ignoring the suspicion that Arabs committed extremely serious crimes even though it has already been proven in court. It is important to remember that, as the court said, the claim of self-defense has not been rejected. The Arabs were masked. They had clubs and launched fireworks directly at the residents of Oz Tzion. That must be remembered. Indor acted in self-defense,” added Attorney Keidar.
Background
On Friday, August 4, shortly before the onset of Shabbat, near Oz Tzion in the Binyamin region, dozens of Arab rioters attacked a Jewish shepherd and local Jewish residents who came to his assistance. The incident began when the Jewish shepherd left Oz Tzion to graze his flock in the area between Oz Tzion and the nearby Arab town of Burqa. Several Arabs approached and threatened him. The shepherd, who felt that he was in danger, summoned other Oz Tzion residents who came to stay with him and prevent the situation from deteriorating.
Dozens of Arabs armed with clubs, fireworks, and large rocks surrounded the Oz Tzion residents. The Arabs launched fireworks directly at the residents and hurled the rocks at them from point-blank range, endangering their lives. The residents called the army and civilian security forces for help. One resident (Yehiel Indor) was hit in the head with a rock and seriously injured. With his remaining strength, he opened fire with his legally-owned personal weapon to defend his life. Several other residents were slightly injured. According to media reports, one of the Arab rioters was killed. Elisha Yered, who transported Indor to an ambulance, and Indor were detained.