Elisha Yered (L) and Atty. Nati Rom (R); Photo credit: Honenu
Wednesday, August 9, 2023, 22:42 A matter of hours after the Jerusalem Magistrates Court released Yehiel Indor and Elisha Yered to house arrest earlier today, the Yehuda and Shomron Police appealed the decision to the District Court. The court scheduled an urgent hearing for today at 17:30. Honenu Attorneys Adi Keidar, Avichai Hajbi, and Nati Rom, who are representing the detainees, strongly criticized the appeal: “We regret the decision by the police, which is supported by the State Attorney’s Office and the GSS. We are absolutely certain that the court will reject the appeal and release the detainees who defended their lives. One of them risked his life [Yehiel Indor] and was nearly killed in the attack. The Magistrates Court thoroughly examined the evidence and handed down clear rulings that must be followed.”
The police representative arrived at the hearing half an hour late, at 18:00, and then, at the request of the Jerusalem District Attorney, Danny Vitman, he filed a request with the court to postpone the hearing to allow for the arrival of representatives of the GSS and the State Attorney’s Office. They requested a postponement of approximately one hour. In the meantime, Yered remained in remand. Honenu Attorneys Keidar and Rom, who had been waiting in the courtroom for approximately one hour, filed an objection to the postponement.
Yehiel Indor’s serious head injury; Photo credit: Free use
After representatives of the GSS arrived, approximately two hours late, they asked to show the judge evidence in her chamber without the presence of the detainees’ attorneys. Attorney Keidar vehemently objected: “This is not an acceptable procedure.” Shortly thereafter, Attorneys Keidar and Rom left the courtroom in protest of the violation of the rules of the court by the judge and the GSS. The judge allowed the GSS to continue the hearing in their absence, so for a time, the detainees were not represented.
Approximately half an hour later, the judge threatened to arrest the detainees if their attorneys did not return to the courtroom. The hearing eventually resumed. The GSS representative presented a confidential video recording on a laptop computer to the judge in her chambers. The defendants’ attorneys were not present. Then, the State Attorney’s Office requested a one-sided hearing, to which Honenu objected.
The judge read her decision and rejected the request: “Regarding the request for a one-sided hearing, confidential evidence is presented, including by the GSS, at many hearings. At all such hearings, a file is prepared with all of the information. The material is presented to the court in the courtroom. There is no reason in this case for the proceedings to be handled differently.”
A vociferous argument broke out between the attorney representing the State Attorney’s Office and the judge, who informed the attorney, “I have news for you. There are people here who have rights!” The hearing continued in the presence of the two sides. At the conclusion of the hearing, the District Court rejected the request by the State Attorney’s Office to delay carrying out the decision and released Yered. Indor will remain in remand while he is hospitalized at Sha’arei Tzedek Hospital until Friday.
Honenu Attorney Adi Keidar reacted to the remand extension for Indor: “We regard with severity the conduct of the Israel Police, the State Attorney’s Office, and the GSS as it was reflected in the decisions by both the Jerusalem Magistrates Court and the District Court. In the end, it led to a situation of threats to the court and facilitated an attempt to hold an illegal hearing in the absence of one of the sides. The District Court did not acquiesce to the State Attorney’s Office but unfortunately did extend Indor’s remand by two additional days. We will consider our next steps in the matter.”
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.