The Jerusalem District Court has ordered the release of Pinchas Ran, the security coordinator for the Gidonim Ridge area in Samaria, to house arrest in the Golan Heights. Ran was arrested following a shooting incident near the Palestinian village of Aqraba. Judge Elad Persky ruled that the risk of Ran violating the conditions of his release or becoming involved in a similar incident was very low. The judge also rejected the prosecution's argument that Ran might obstruct legal proceedings.
The decision followed an appeal by Ran's attorneys, Nati Rom and Moshe Polski of the Honenu legal aid organization. The court ordered his transfer to house arrest before receiving a formal assessment from the probation service, citing the circumstances presented during the hearing.
Ran, 37, is a reserve commando soldier, a bereaved brother and a father of three. He was arrested after firing shots near Aqraba. According to his account, he fired into the air after a vehicle attempted to run him and another soldier off the road.
In his ruling, Persky noted that conflicting accounts had been provided regarding the incident. "There is no objective evidence indicating what happened when the vehicle and the ATV passed each other," the judge wrote.
The court also considered Ran's lack of a criminal record, despite his extensive security responsibilities in an area where confrontations can occur frequently. The judge noted that Ran was regularly exposed to situations with the potential for friction, making his clean record particularly significant.
The ruling also highlighted Ran's military service. He has completed more than 600 days of reserve duty, participated in evacuating wounded soldiers and saving lives under fire, and returned to combat after his brother, Capt. Or Yosef Ran, was killed on October 7.
The court reviewed letters of recommendation from the commander of the Samaria Brigade, who described Ran as a principled, responsible and dedicated person, as well as recommendations from other security officials and military commanders. The judge also acknowledged the difficult experiences Ran had endured during the war and their impact on him.
During the hearing, soldier Elisha Meidan described how Ran had helped save his life and the lives of other soldiers. "I got my life back, in part thanks to him," Meidan told the court.
Several proposed supervisors for Ran's house arrest were also presented. They included individuals with security backgrounds, among them former members of Sayeret Matkal and the ISA. The judge praised their qualifications, saying it was difficult to dispute their suitability for the supervisory role.
Another factor considered by the court was that police had waited approximately three weeks before arresting Ran, even though he had continued to oversee dozens of weapons during that period. The judge cited a police representative who acknowledged that there had been no concern that Ran would commit another incident.
Addressing the prosecution's claim that Ran might interfere with the legal proceedings, Persky said no concrete grounds had been presented to support that concern following the filing of the indictment.
Ran's attorney, Nati Rom, welcomed the decision, arguing that his client's account that he had acted in self-defense had remained consistent and had not been disproven. Rom criticized the prosecution for adopting what he described as the narrative of those who had allegedly attempted to ram the security coordinator's vehicle, and called on prosecutors to reconsider the case.
MK Limor Son Har-Melech also expressed support for Ran, saying she had maintained from the beginning that he had acted in response to a threat to his life. She criticized his detention and pledged to continue supporting him until he is fully acquitted.