Israeli Mother Detained After Reporting Ex-Partner's Violence, Judge Criticizes Police Handling

A mother of two who went to a police station in Netanya to report violence by her ex-partner was detained for hours and brought to Petah Tikva Magistrate's Court as a suspect. Police claimed the arrest was meant to protect her after she refused to leave her home or move to an unknown location away from the ex-partner. The woman and her children had spent many hours at the station before officers insisted she take protective measures, such as having another person live with her or relocating to a safe house. She declined to leave her familiar environment, leading to her arrest and separation from her children.

At the court hearing on Monday, presided over by Judge Dan Bauman, the police requested to extend her detention by 24 hours, citing "risk to a person's security" as the reason. Represented by public defender Anna Shechtman Kugler, the woman argued the arrest was unlawful and that if protection was needed, the ex-partner should have been detained or removed instead. The defense called the procedure unprecedented and unjustified, emphasizing the trauma caused by separating her from her children.

Judge Bauman accepted the defense's arguments, ordering her immediate release and sharply criticizing the police for shifting responsibility to the judiciary after she refused their protective proposals. He stated there was no legal basis for her detention and highlighted that she was labeled a "suspect" despite no charges. The judge recommended the woman pursue other protective measures, which she agreed to follow. The court's decision ended her detention and allowed her to reunite with her children.