Far-left activist Ezra Nawi, who is accused of having helped execute Palestinians who sold land to Jews, is to be released from police custody today (Sunday).
Jerusalem District Court Judge David Richter ordered Nawi's release to house arrest, but delayed the release until 4 p.m. Sunday to allow prosecutors time to appeal the decision.
In his ruling, the judge said he didn't see any compelling reason to keep Nawi in detention, dismissing police claims that releasing him could disrupt their investigation.
He said that no new evidence had been presented over Nawi's alleged role in the death of "Abu Khalil", a Palestinian man who died shortly after being entrapped by Nawi for selling land to Jews. While Palestinian Authority officials had claimed he died of a stroke, police are looking into the possibility that he was murdered, and that by informing on him Nawi played a part in his death.
Ezra Nawi was arrested earlier this month as he attempted to flee the country, following an expose which showed him gloating about having handed Palestinians over to the PA for torture and execution, for the "crime" of selling land to Jews.
His arrest was followed by two others - one a fellow Jewish far-left activist and the other an Arab activist with the Israeli B'Tselem group - but Ezra Nawi's identity as the first arrested suspect was only cleared for publication late last week.