17 indicted after protest mob stormed military police chief’s home

Israeli prosecutors filed an indictment on Monday in the Ashkelon Magistrate’s Court against 17 defendants, including four minors, over the break-in at the home of Military Police Chief Brig. Gen. Yuval Yamin during an anti-conscription protest about a month and a half ago. The case was filed by attorney Hila Klaper Cohen of the Southern District Prosecutor’s Office.

According to the indictment, dozens of ultra-Orthodox extremists gathered near Yamin’s house to protest the enlistment of draft evaders, carrying signs and chanting, including, “War on the draft law, in deeds not words.” Shortly after the protest began, some demonstrators forced open the locked entrance gate and entered the yard. At the time, Yamin’s wife and two of his children, including one minor, were inside. Dozens of protesters crowded into the yard, porch and front steps, some sitting down and others standing while holding hands. With the family trapped inside and unable to leave, protesters sang, waved signs and shouted insults at Yamin and the Israel Defense Forces.

The family reportedly feared they would be harmed, shut the shutters, locked the front door and called police. Officers dispersed the disturbance and arrested suspects. The indictment says the gate’s locking mechanism was damaged, parts of the house wall were broken, and the porch tiles and garden plants were also damaged. The harm was estimated at thousands of shekels.

Prosecutors charged the defendants with rioting, trespassing in order to commit an offense, and willful property damage. They also asked the court to set conditions for their release to ensure they appear for the rest of the proceedings.

Meanwhile, dozens of ultra-Orthodox protesters blocked Gilat Junction in the Eshkol area of the Gaza envelope after an arrest in Ofakim, causing disruptions on Routes 25 and 241. Police urged drivers to avoid the area and use alternate roads. Separately, according to a report in Kikar HaShabbat, Rabbi Moshe Schmid, head of Yeshivat Grodno in Ashdod, instructed students to keep the outing secret and go to Ashkelon for a “protest of anger” over the arrest of two yeshiva students. Weeks later, another group returned to Yamin’s home and again tried to break in. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz condemned the violence.