The district court rejected the police’s appeal against the release of the illegal resident who spat at an IDF officer. Judge Michal Agmon-Gonen ruled that he will be released on bail.
The Tel Aviv District Court today rejected a police appeal seeking to detain a Palestinian man accused of spitting at an IDF reserve officer, upholding a lower court’s decision to release him on bail.
Judge Michal Agmon-Gonen ruled that there was no justification to overturn the earlier decision by Peace Court Judge Benjamin Doron, who had authorized the suspect’s release under strict bail conditions. The suspect, 24-year-old Ahmad Muhammad from the village of Huwara in the Palestinian Authority, has been allowed to return to his home while legal proceedings continue.
The incident occurred earlier this week on a bus traveling through Ramat Gan, where Muhammad allegedly spat at a reserve officer. He has been formally charged with assaulting a public servant and unlawfully entering or remaining in Israel. Notably, the charges do not include a nationalistic motive.
During questioning, Muhammad admitted to the act, stating he was “nervous and angry” when the officer stood and moved seats on the bus. Despite initially denying the accusations, Muhammad later surrendered to security forces and cooperated with the investigation.
The police had requested that Muhammad be held until the conclusion of his trial, arguing the seriousness of the charges. However, the courts have so far found no compelling reason to consider him a danger requiring pretrial detention.
