Woman arrested on suspicion of stalking Israeli model Bar Refaeli

A woman was arrested on Wednesday night on suspicion of stalking and harassing Israeli model Bar Refaeli, including by allegedly visiting her home and the homes of her family members.

The woman, a resident of Beersheba, has no criminal record but has a history of psychiatric problems, Hebrew-language media reported. She was brought before the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, where police requested she be held in remand for an additional five days.

The court ruled, however, that the suspect, who has a three-year-old son, should instead be released to house arrest and undergo a psychiatric evaluation. The decision was appealed, and she remained in custody on Thursday.

A police representative told the court that the suspect’s behavior had gotten steadily worse in recent months, after she began messaging Refaeli on Instagram multiple times a day.

From there, things escalated, the police representative said, and the woman tracked down Refaeli’s address and those of her family, visiting their homes.

According to the Walla news site, the woman was questioned under caution by the police on November 2 and was subsequently released under restrictive conditions, which included a restraining order preventing her from approaching Refaeli and her family.

She violated that order, however, Walla said, and resumed sending threatening messages to Refaeli, including one in which she allegedly demanded that the model choose between her and her own husband.

On November 26, Refaeli filed a police complaint against the woman in which she said she feared for her life. Additional testimony was filed against the suspect by Refaeli’s husband and relatives.

The suspect was again questioned under caution and was arrested, with police determining that there was sufficient evidence for her immediate arrest.

At the hearing on Thursday, which was held behind closed doors, the suspect’s defense attorney, Adv. Adva Elav, of the Public Defender’s Office, argued that the police were only pursuing the case because it was connected to Refaeli, and that the suspect was not a criminal but someone who needed psychological help.

“The suspect’s parents have already made an appointment with a psychiatrist,” Elav was cited as having told the court. “She has a three-year-old son waiting at home. We’re talking about a young woman struggling with mental illness and with no criminal record,” she said.

Judge Yael Anatot, who presided over the hearing, ruled that there was reasonable suspicion against the suspect and ordered her to be released to house arrest and to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. She also handed down a three-month restraining order barring her from being within a kilometer of Refaeli.

The police appealed against the ruling, hoping to extend her remand for another five days, and the suspect will remain in custody until a decision is made.

Refaeli is an internationally known model and celebrity, and one of the most recognizable Israelis on the world stage.

Her family is well-known in Israel and there has been some controversy around them in previous years. She and her mother were convicted in 2020 of tax evasion, in a case that also implicated her father-in-law.

The prolonged case, built around the celebrity model’s worldwide income and the family’s attempts to downplay her ties to Israel for tax purposes, damaged her well-crafted public image as an informal ambassador for the country.

Still, she remains a popular TV personality and pitch-woman whose image is common on highway billboards throughout the country.