Prosecutor's office appealing release of Hebron shooter
Jerusalem District Attorney's Office asks Supreme Court to overturn decision to release man accused of shooting two Palestinians during events that surrounded eviction of disputed Hebron house, claiming he represents a danger to his surroundings
The Jerusalem District Attorney's Office appealed to the Supreme Court on Friday to overturn the release of Ze'ev Brauda, a settler from Kiryat Arba accused of shooting at two Palestinians who was recently put on house arrest.
According to the district attorney's office, Brauda represents a danger to his surroundings and should not be released before evidence has been examined. Brauda's lawyer asked that the appeal be delayed until after the settler receives medical treatment.
The Jerusalem Magistrates' Court released Braudas to house arrest on Wednesday. Before issuing her decision, Judge Malka Aviv harshly criticized the police.
"The police are being extremely lenient towards the behavior of the Palestinian residents in that incident… We cannot play a part in such outright double standards."
The judge pointed out that none of the other people involved in the serious incident were arrested by the police and no proceedings were opened against them, when it was clear that Brauda was being lynched.
A few hours later the State Prosecutor's Office charged Brauda with assault with malicious intent.
According to the indictment, during the tumultuous events surrounding the eviction of the Hebron house, Brauda pulled out his gun and demanded several Palestinians living adjacently to the disputed house go back inside their house.
Brauda, who was reportedly accompanied by an unidentified young man, went into the house as well. When the family patriarch demanded he leave, Brauda proceeded to hit him and then aimed his gun at him.
Other family members tried to remove Brauda from their home, at which point he fired at them. One of the shots hit the family patriarch in the chest. Another family member was able to knock Brauda to the ground, at which point he fired two more shots – one hitting a third family member in the arm.
Brauda was eventually extracted from the premises by other Kiryat Arba settlers.
