Judge Alon Gavison of the Be’er Sheva District Court ruled today (Tuesday) that Betzalel Zini will be released to house arrest under restrictive conditions, accepting the position presented by the defense.
The State Prosecution is expected to appeal the decision and ask the court to tighten the release conditions. In his remarks during the hearing, Judge Gavison criticized the prosecution’s stance, saying: “A man who has lived an upright life, who was raised in the tradition of Religious Zionism - the spearhead of the national effort - and we all know who his brother is, will he endanger the state’s security?"
Zini is the brother of ISA chief David Zini and was detained on suspicion of involvement in a cigarette-smuggling scheme into the Gaza Strip.
Last month, the State Prosecution filed an indictment against him in the Be’er Sheva District Court, accusing him of participating in the smuggling operation while serving as the official responsible for the logistical framework of a makeshift unit of earthmover operators known as the Uriah Force.
The unit was established to address a shortage of engineering vehicles caused by American restrictions and the heavy operational use of the IDF’s existing equipment. It combined both military and civilian operators and demolished buildings and other infrastructure in Gaza.
The force operated outside the IDF’s standard chain of command, which Haaretz reports drew criticism and refusal to cooperate from other commanders. In the same month that Zini was arrested, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir ordered the disbanding of the Uriah Force along with several other irregular units that had been formed during the war.
Because of his role, Zini held permits allowing vehicle convoys to enter the Gaza Strip.
According to the indictment, he abused the trust placed in him by using these permits to smuggle approximately 14 cartons of cigarettes through the Sufa crossing in three separate shipments. Prosecutors claim he received about 365,000 shekels in return.
Zini has acknowledged receiving hundreds of thousands of shekels but denies that the money was payment for facilitating smuggling into Gaza. He claims he believed the funds were a lawful donation obtained by a soldier in his unit to support the unit’s activities.