The Petah Tikva Magistrate’s Court on Friday morning rejected a request by the Shin Bet and police to extend by 10 days the detention of a 25-year-old IDF reservist from Samaria suspected of involvement in an incident in which a Palestinian Authority Arab was killed near the village of Qusra.
Instead, Judge Israel Pat ruled that the soldier's detention would be extended only until Monday.
The soldier, a pre-military academy graduate who has served hundreds of reserve days as a company communications officer in the Duchifat Battalion during war in Gaza, has been held for three days under an exceptional order preventing him from meeting with a lawyer. The order is set to expire at midnight, and it is unclear whether the Shin Bet will seek to extend it.
During the hearing, it emerged that the suspect had not yet been examined by a doctor despite prior instructions. Judge Pat wrote in his decision: “I urgently instruct the Shin Bet to ensure the suspect meets with a doctor to examine him and confirm he is receiving appropriate treatment."
At the request of the Honenu organization, the court partially lifted a gag order on the case. While the suspect’s identity and specific investigative details remain gagged, it was permitted to publish that the incident was preceded by an attack on Jewish shepherds by local Palestinian Authority Arabs.
The incident occurred about a month ago, when civilian and military security forces were dispatched to assist the shepherds under attack. During the confrontation, one of the attackers was killed.
Attorney Nati Rom, representing the soldier on behalf of Honenu, sharply criticized the behavior of the authorities: “None of the Arab rioters were arrested or even questioned by police. Only a soldier who dedicates his life to defending the state finds himself under Shin Bet investigation with draconian orders, while Hamas issues statements of support and backing for the Palestinians. This is an absurd situation. I call on the authorities to immediately reverse this harm to our brave soldiers."