Boaz Albert
Boaz AlbertYitzhar Spokesman

A district court has rejected an appeal made by police to overturn a magistrate's (Bet Mishpat Hashalom) decision ordering the release of Boaz Albert last week.

Last week, a magistrate in Petah Tikva ruled that Albert should be released while the criminal case against him continues. Notably, the court also criticized the conduct of the police for its heavy handedness against Albert.

Albert was handed an administrative order in August that forbids him to enter the Judea or Samaria (Shomron) regions, despite the fact that his home and business are both located in Samaria. Defense officials refused to tell Albert why he had been distanced from his home, saying the information is classified.

The District Court upheld the magistrate's ruling that Boaz Albert should be released to house arrest but with tightened conditions for his release.

The Albert family praised the decision of the court and said it showed once again that police treatment of Boaz Albert had been unfair. "The judges continue to embarrass the police" who the family accused of "not internalizing" the fact that reliance on an administrative did not give them liberty to do as it pleased.

Boaz Albert has repeatedly refused to leave his home and has published an op-ed explaining his decision not to obey the order.

The case has led to a series of violent arrests, with Albert electrified on one occasion by police using the painful 'taser' weapon.

Attorney Adi Keidar from the Honenu legal rights group hailed Tuesday's ruling.

"Today's decision again criticizes police," he said.

Although it somewhat worsened Albert's conditions of release, Keidar said, "most significantly it did not challenge the magistrate's decision."