The Jerusalem District Court on Sunday partially acceded to the request of the police to ban radical leftist activists Ezra Nawi and Guy Butavia of the Ta’ayush group from Judea and Samaria.
While police had requested a 60-day ban, the court distanced them from the region for 14 days, reports Haaretz. The decision overrules the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court ruling last Thursday, which called to let the far-leftist activists back in Judea and Samaria.
The two sprang to infamy this month after nationalist activists infiltrated their circles, and revealed on Channel 2‘s “Uvda” show video evidence of them admitting to passing the Palestinian Authority (PA) information about Arabs selling their homes to Jews. The Arab sellers were summarily tortured and executed, a fact that Nawi openly bragged about in the footage.
Nawi is being investigated for entrapping one Arab seller and causing his death. Between the two activists they face a number of charges, including accessory to manslaughter, conspiracy in attempted murder, passing information to a foreign agent, transporting an individual in Israel as well as drug use.
In addition, Nawi has served jail time several times in the past, including for assaulting police officers, and also served nearly half a year in jail for statutory rape over his sexual relations with a 15-year-old Palestinian boy in the early 1990s. He was convicted of statutory rape of the 15-year-old in 2011. He has also been revealed to be a supporter of Hamas.
Police in their request to ban the two activists from the region also asked to increase their bail, and extend an order blocking them from communicating with others involved in the investigation. Police submitted documents showing witnesses saying they are afraid of Nawi.
While the judge said there was no reason to keep the two under arrest, he decided the limitations on their activities were justified given the evidence.
After the revelation of his activities, Nawi attempted to flee Israel earlier this month but was arrested at Ben-Gurion International Airport.
