Jerusalem Court Upholds House Arrest for Protesters Outside Supreme Court Judge's Home

A Jerusalem Magistrate's Court has rejected the request of four residents from Beit Shemesh to lift their house arrest conditions following violent protests outside the home of Supreme Court Deputy President Noam Sohlberg. The defendants, accused of participating in the violent disturbances last month, remain under strict house arrest, with only limited supervised outings for Sabbath prayers permitted.

The protests involved an agitated crowd surrounding Judge Sohlberg's residence, causing property damage and attempting to breach his home, while local police struggled to contain the unrest. So far, indictments have been filed against only four individuals, with the main organizers still unidentified by security forces.

During the recent hearing, the prosecution strongly opposed easing the defendants' restrictions, warning that public tensions remain high and violent. Judge Tishler emphasized the exceptional severity of the case, noting the defendants acted with the explicit intent to intimidate a senior judge on a highly contentious public issue. He rejected defense arguments that the passage of time justified release, citing ongoing instability linked to the contentious issue of yeshiva student conscription.

The court expressed concern that the defendants, motivated by ideological anger, might again heed calls from community leaders to intimidate public officials or state employees. Consequently, the court maintained the house arrest measures, allowing only controlled Sabbath prayer attendance outside the home, while enforcing strict restrictions during the rest of the week.