Israel’s Supreme Court on Sunday ordered the release to house arrest of a Jewish Israeli minor charged with murdering a Palestinian woman last October.
The court heard the State Prosecution’s appeal to block his release in a closed-door hearing on Thursday.
The young man, who as a minor cannot be named, is charged with the death of Palestinian Authority resident Aisha Rabi, who was allegedly killed by a heavy rock hurled through the windshield of her car in Samaria on Oct. 12.
According to the indictment, the minor and his friends approached Route 60, a south-north intercity road that connects Beersheva to Nazareth, on the evening of Oct. 12, 2018. He then allegedly hurled a four-pound stone at Rabi’s vehicle, which was traveling at more than 60 miles per hour.
Rabi’s husband, who was driving the vehicle, managed to maintain control and drove Rabi to a hospital in Nablus.
Four other minors connected to the incident were arrested by Israel’s Shin Bet security services months ago and subsequently released.
The Shin Bet was criticized for holding the minors for a lengthy period without allowing them to consult with a lawyer.
The original ruling to release the minor reportedly came after the Lod District Court heard testimony from state forensic specialist Chen Kugel, director of the National Center of Forensic Medicine, who said he does not believe that Rabi was killed by a rock.
According to a report by The Jerusalem Post, the state will ask the court to uphold the medical opinion of a Palestinian examiner over that of Kugel because the P.A. expert had access to the body, whereas Kugel was only made privy to photographs.
Kugel has not argued against findings that the minor’s DNA was on the rock, or that he threw the rock at Route 60.
