Court nixes general’s appeal to keep restrictions on settler accused of lurid attack

The Jerusalem District Court on Sunday rejected an appeal by IDF Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth to prevent Tal Yinon Dardik, a suspect in a March attack on Palestinians, from serving house arrest at his unauthorized West Bank outpost. The court found Bluth’s administrative detention order against Dardik “justified, proportionate and reasonable,” citing Dardik’s evident “danger to the security of the region.” However, it upheld a military tribunal’s ruling that house arrest at his mother-in-law’s home was impractical as she did not want him there. Dardik, who denies involvement in the alleged attack where settlers reportedly bound and humiliated Palestinians, has insisted on serving house arrest at his Kfar Tarfon outpost. He was imprisoned in early July for violating detention terms and has since gone on a hunger strike. The court gave the IDF until Tuesday to comply with the ruling, with Dardik’s lawyer seeking his release from prison.