The Petah Tikva Magistrate’s Court this week exposed outrageous police lies and ordered the immediate release to house arrest of the Jewish farmer from the Shomron who was arrested about two weeks ago after he was attacked with stones and clubs by dozens of bloodthirsty Arab rioters.

The farmer found himself behind bars after he went to Huwara to retrieve his stolen flock of sheep and fell into a planned ambush.

The police claimed that the farmer had opened fire and wounded an Arab. However, during the hearing, a police representative acknowledged that no one had, in fact, been injured and there was no evidence that the farmer had opened fire.

During the tense hearing, Judge Menachem Mizrahi slammed the police investigators and the lies presented to him to justify the farmer’s continued detention. “I learned that there is a video that describes the moments of the incident, but in no way can it be clearly seen that the suspect before us is the one who fired the shot,” Mizrachi wrote in his ruling. “I also learned from the embarrassing answers of the police representative that, contrary to all basic investigative procedures, no forensic examination was conducted on the vehicle in question. This means that no bullet was found, no ballistic matches were made with the suspect’s personal weapon, and moreover, no shell casings were collected from the scene at all.”

The police immediately announced their intention to appeal the decision to the District Court.

Attorneys Nati Rom and Assaf Gonen of the Honenu legal aid organization, who represented the Jewish farmer, welcomed the ruling. “This is a necessary, courageous, and appropriate decision by the court. This man, who defended his life against dozens of rioters, should not be sitting in prison. We hope the State Attorney’s Office will reconsider before dragging the system into a political case that is expected to end in a resounding acquittal.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)