Yitzhar minor to serve house arrest at home

Friday, June 24, 2016, 15:22 At a deliberation on Friday, June 24, the police demanded that the Yitzhar minor’s remand be extended by three days in order to facilitate investigation of the violation of his administrative order. The Petah Tikva Magistrate Court rejected the demand and ordered the release of the minor to house arrest at his home.
In her decision Petah Tikva Magistrate Court Judge Ya’el Bleicher leveled strong criticism at the police and the other security forces, noting that, “The situation which has been described as of this time is unsatisfactory. It appears that not enough, if any, consideration has been given to the opinions of the social service authorities who certainly must be involved when a minor is detained.” See here for the involvement of the National Council for the Child in the case.
During the deliberation it became apparent that the administrative house arrest order could not be fulfilled on the isolated farm in the south of Israel to which the GOC of the Home Front Command, Major General Yo’el Strik ordered the minor because the owner of the farm refused to receive him. In light of that the police presented the address of another farm in the south, close to Eilat, to which they intend to send the minor.
At the request of the police representative, carrying out the decision has been delayed and a deliberation on the case is expected to be held at the district court. Honenu Attorney Chai Haber represented the minor.
“In the framework of this case one sane voice has been heard, that of the court which ordered the release of the minor from remand and criticized the conduct of the authorities who have not bothered to weigh their decisions with the social and probation services as is required by law,” stated Haber at the close of the deliberation.
Haber added that, “One must remember that this is a minor without a criminal record, who was served with administrative orders not for anything that he did but rather on the basis of a claim that he might do something in the future. The “thought police” has not only restricted his movements but has also chosen to treat him like an object which can be thrown anywhere, with no regard for the law in the matter.