Eliezer Bubili, 63, from Even Yehuda, was arrested on Monday on suspicion of threatening a pharmacist at a Clalit Health Services pharmacy, spitting at her, and making racist remarks, including, “You Arabs should not be here.” According to police, he arrived with a prescription for his wife and argued with pharmacy staff after they allegedly refused to handle his request.
The dispute escalated, police said, into curses, threats and spitting at one of the pharmacists. Staff called the police, and Bubili was detained on suspicion of threats and assault. He was later brought before the Petah Tikva Magistrate’s Court, where police asked to extend his detention by five days.
Police representative Rס״ב Yaniv Hendi told the court that the pharmacist was frightened and called the department manager, and that when the manager arrived, Bubili spat at the pharmacist. During the hearing, police presented security camera footage from the pharmacy that they said documented the incident and Bubili’s actions.
His lawyer argued that the confrontation began after the pharmacists refused to dispense medication to Bubili’s wife, who had undergone back surgery, and said the case did not justify continued detention, especially given his age. The defense asked only for him to be kept away from the pharmacy. Judge Dror Kleitman accepted the defense position and ordered Bubili released under restrictive conditions, including a 15-day ban on approaching the pharmacy, a ban on contacting the pharmacist involved, and a financial undertaking. “Despite the ugliness of the incident, the level of danger is low,” the judge wrote, adding that if Bubili is found guilty, “he will answer in the main case.”
