The Petah Tikva Magistrate’s Court on Sunday ordered the release to house arrest of a Samaria shepherd who was arrested two weeks ago after he went to check on his flock and was allegedly attacked by dozens of Arab rioters.
Police announced that they would appeal the decision to the District Court. The herdsman is being represented by attorneys Nati Rom and Asaf Gonen from the Honenu legal aid organization.
During the hearing, Judge Menachem Mizrahi strongly criticized the police’s claims that the shepherd had opened fire at Arabs and wounded them.
“I learned that there is video footage documenting the incident, but it is not possible to clearly determine from it that the suspect carried out the shooting," the judge said. He added that police had acknowledged that no forensic examination had been conducted on the relevant vehicle.
“In other words, no bullet was found, no ballistic examination was carried out, no matching was performed with the suspect’s weapon, and no cartridge cases were found at the scene," Mizrahi said.
The judge also noted that police representatives admitted that no one was injured, contradicting earlier claims made during the detention proceedings that the alleged shooting had wounded an Arab
The herdsman’s attorneys welcomed the ruling, saying: “This is the decision the court was expected to make. This is not the person who should be sitting behind bars. We hope the prosecution will carefully consider its next steps before moving forward with a case that could drag on for a long time and ultimately end in a clear acquittal."