Israeli journalist and activist Yisroel Frey, known for his radical left-wing views, will be transferred to house arrest on Sunday after spending the weekend in custody as a security detainee.
Frey came under investigation for allegedly endorsing terrorism and inciting violence following a social media post in which he applauded the deaths of five IDF soldiers during combat operations in Gaza.
Authorities requested that Frey remain under house arrest for two weeks. As part of his release conditions, he was also required to post bail and will be prohibited from leaving Israel for the next 180 days.
Last Thursday, Judge Ravit Peleg of the Tel Aviv Magistrates’ Court ordered an extension of Frey’s detention. Acting on instructions from Israel Prisons Service Commissioner Kobi Yaakobi, officials classified Frey as a security risk, holding him in a high-security detention center.
During the court proceedings, Judge Peleg strongly condemned Frey’s comments, saying: “These things hurt the public’s feelings and are outrageous. How can the death of young men, soldiers, who were killed in the line of duty defending the country, be a good thing?”
Later in the session, she also questioned whether the circumstances truly met the legal standard for the charges he faced, noting: “If the published details align with the legislator’s intent regarding the offense attributed to the suspect, this, in light of the prosecution’s remarks, as indicated by the prosecutor’s statement that this is a borderline case.”
The controversial post at the heart of the case read: “The world is better this morning, without the five young men who participated in one of the most brutal crimes against humanity. Unfortunately, for the child in Gaza who is now being operated on without anesthetics, for the girl starving to death, and the family crammed into a tent under the bombs, it is not enough. This is a call to every Israeli mother: don’t be the next to receive your son in a coffin as a war criminal. Refuse this.”
His words drew fierce backlash from across Israel’s political landscape. Public figures from both the right and the left denounced his statement, and multiple complaints were filed with law enforcement, accusing Frey of incitement and encouraging draft refusal.
{Matzav.com Israel}