Court overturns order barring left-wing Israeli activist from West Bank village
In rare move, judge rejects police position accepted by lower court, asks why IDF reservist Doron Meinert was arrested on suspicion of entering closed military zone and settlers weren’t
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleNurit Yohanan is The Times of Israel's Palestinian and Arab world correspondent
In an unusual decision, the Central District Court on Thursday accepted an appeal by a left-wing Israeli activist who was arrested in the West Bank’s Khirbet al-Tawil, south of Nablus, on suspicion of entering a closed military zone.
IDF reservist Col. Doron Meinert, an activist with the left-wing “Looking the Occupation in the Eye” organization, was arrested on Tuesday after arriving at the site of a Palestinian water cistern allegedly taken over by settlers.
Footage he filmed at the time shows soldiers standing alongside settlers who had arrived at the site of the cistern used by local Palestinian residents, which was not located within the closed military zone declared by the military.
Despite the footage, the IDF told The Times of Israel that it was unaware of any soldiers who had been present at the site.
Meinert told The Times of Israel on Tuesday that the soldiers called the police, who told him he was inside a closed military zone. When he refused to leave the area, he was arrested.
He maintained at the time that he was not within the area covered by the order, while settlers who were inside the closed military zone were neither removed nor arrested.
At a hearing in a magistrate’s court on Wednesday, a ruling accepting the police’s position barred Meinert from Khirbet al-Tawil for 10 days. However, on appeal to the district court on Thursday, the judge accepted Meinert’s argument that he had been outside the area covered by the order and questioned why the settlers who were at the scene were not detained.
זה דורון מיינרט, ממובילי @Mistaclim שנעצר אתמול כשניסה למנוע ממתנחלים בחירבת א טוויל לפגוע במקור מים של הפלסטינים. דורון בילה את הלילה בתחנת משטרה בהתנחלות אריאל.
הצבא לא עוצר מתנחלים כשהם רוצחים פלסטינים, אבל עוצר פעילי נוכחות מגנה. תנו לזה לשקוע. pic.twitter.com/THFduQRA1M
— עומדים ביחד نقف معًا Standing Together???? (@omdimbeyachad) August 19, 2026
It marked a rare case in which a judge rejected a previously accepted police position while hinting at discrimination in the conduct of law enforcement.
“It is appropriate to express puzzlement at the law enforcement authorities’ decision to detain only the appellant, who did not leave the area, when it can be seen that numerous settlers were present at the scene… none of whom were detained or arrested,” the ruling said.
מתנחל פרץ הבוקר בור מים פלסטיני פרטי בח'ירבת א-טוואייל בעזרת מסור דיסק, השקה את הצאן וגנב מים. כל זאת בזמן שתושבי המקום ללא מים כבר מספר שבועות כי מתנחלים השחיתו את הצנרת והצבא מונע את תיקונה.
את השוד אבטחו חיילי הגמ"ר.
כשפעילי זכויות אדם ניסו למנוע את הביזה הגיעו כוחות משטרה… pic.twitter.com/HKv9JIi9i1— מסתכלים לכיבוש בעיניים (@Mistaclim) August 18, 2026
There has been a dramatic rise in settler violence in the West Bank. Attacks occur on a near-daily basis and largely go unchecked, with prosecutions rare and convictions rarer still. The Khirbet al-Tawil incident occurred as Palestinian families in the nearby Qusra said on Wednesday that they were unable to leave their homes more than a week after settlers besieged their houses.
Israeli security establishment figures reported by Kan showed 660 serious incidents of Jewish “nationalistic crime” in the West Bank during the first six months of 2026, up from 405 during the same period last year — a 63% increase.
Six Palestinians were killed and 140 wounded in settler violence during the first half of the year, compared with no deaths and 82 injuries during the same period in 2025. Attacks targeting Israeli security forces also rose 50%, with 45 incidents recorded. Roughly another 100 incidents were recorded in July, according to the Kan figures.
The Times of Israel Community.