Tel Aviv Court Orders Immediate Religious Rights for Security Suspect Amid Abuse Claims

The Tel Aviv District Court ruled on Wednesday that the Israel Prison Service (IPS) must immediately allow a reservist accused of security offenses to don tefillin, after he claimed his rights were violated during detention. The court also instructed the IPS to investigate his allegations, including being denied food for 36 hours, and to report back within seven days. Judge Oded Maor noted this was not the first time the detainee raised complaints about IPS treatment. Although the court has not yet determined the truth of the claims, it emphasized they cannot be ignored. The judge condemned the alleged 36-hour food denial as unacceptable and stressed that detainees must be treated humanely, with their dignity and basic rights preserved. He clarified that detention is not punishment and conditions cannot be used for humiliation or violence.

The court ordered the IPS to permit the detainee to put on tefillin daily until sunset and to allow him a phone call with his lawyer. The suspect, who served in a classified unit in both regular and reserve duty, faces charges of contact with a foreign agent and attempting to pass information to the enemy. According to the indictment, investigations by the Israel Police's Lahav 433 and the Shin Bet revealed he communicated with someone claiming to be Iranian intelligence and was later asked to help recruit a soldier for these contacts. His defense attorney, Nati Rom, described the case as an isolated incident of carelessness, asserting his client, who dedicated his life to national security, is being treated like a terrorist. Rom denied any malicious intent or desire to harm state security by his client.