The State Attorney's Office filed an indictment with the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court this morning (Sunday) against Nachman Platnik, 20, Avraham Fried, 20, Gershon Hanun, 21, and Shimon Atap, 41, residents of Beit Shemesh, for their role in a violent riot that occurred near the home of the Deputy President of the Supreme Court, Justice Noam Solberg, in the settlement of Alon Shvut.
According to the indictment, filed by Attorney Ariel Illoz of the Jerusalem District Attorney's Office, against the backdrop of court rulings that dealt with enforcing mandatory conscription on yeshiva students, on June 3, notices were hung throughout Bnei Brak calling for participation in a protest near Solberg's home.
According to the allegations, a person whose identity is unknown to the police ordered two buses and a minibus to transport participants to the demonstration.
In the evening, vehicles left Bnei Brak towards Alon Shvut with over a hundred people inside, including the defendants. At around 8:20 PM, the participants arrived in the settlement and began walking towards the judge's house, led by another person whose identity is unknown.
Upon their arrival, dozens gathered around the house and began shouting various slogans, including "Goal." Following the gathering, the couple Noam and Meira Solberg locked the doors of their home.
According to the indictment, the protest turned into a violent riot intended to deter Judge Solberg due to his judicial decisions on the issue of yeshiva conscription. As part of the events, the indictment alleges that some of the windows of the house were smashed and shards of glass penetrated inside. In addition, urns placed in the yard and on window sills were smashed, damage was caused to a vehicle parked in the parking lot, bushes in the yard were damaged, and stones were thrown at the house.
It was also claimed that one of the doors to the house was opened and attempts were made to break in. The road leading to the house was blocked for various periods of time, and some of the protesters entered the yard and private parking lot.
According to the indictment, paskhvilim were thrown into the courtyard with a picture of Judge Solberg and the inscription: "Mr. Solberg, take your hand off the persecution of Haredi Judaism." Blue-and-white flags with swastikas painted on them were also thrown into the street.
During the incident, neighbors tried to prevent the rioters from continuing their actions. One neighbor was beaten and allegedly had his kippah taken from him.
Some neighbors thought it was an attack and entered protected areas.
The indictment also describes a confrontation with police forces that arrived at the scene. According to the prosecution, some of the demonstrators ran towards a patrol car that arrived at the scene, shouting "Nazis" and "We will die rather than be drafted," and the police officer in the car left the scene for fear of being harmed.
According to the indictment, the defendants participated in the riot and two of them even entered the parking lot of the house during the riot.
The indictment charges all the defendants with rioting, and two of them also with trespassing.
In the arrest request to the court, Attorney Ariel Illoz noted that "the indictment deals with a serious, unusual and unprecedented event, in which a violent riot occurred outside a judge's home, which included damage to his property, and this against the backdrop of his judicial role as a judge in the Supreme Court.".
The investigation against the remaining suspects continues to be conducted by Chief of Police S.I.
The commander of the Shi'ite District, Superintendent Moshe Pinchi, said: "This is a serious incident in which red lines were crossed. The right to protest and freedom of expression are among the cornerstones of the State of Israel, but they cannot justify violence, vandalism, or damage to a person's home and property, and certainly not that of a public official.".
""The Shi'ite District police acted quickly, decisively and professionally, taking control of the incident within minutes and arresting those involved. We will continue to act with zero tolerance towards any manifestation of violence and disorder, from any side and anywhere, and we will bring to justice those who choose to cross the boundaries of the law, as we have done in this investigation, which is still ongoing.".
About 65 of the protesters were arrested immediately after the demonstration. As mentioned, only four were indicted.
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