Police Intelligence Failure Enabled Attack on Justice Sohlberg's Home

Israeli police received intelligence hours before a violent mob descended on Supreme Court Deputy President Noam Sohlberg's private residence, yet failed to prevent the attack due to what authorities are now acknowledging as a critical intelligence breakdown.

According to a report published Thursday in Ynet, police intelligence units obtained concrete indications by early afternoon Wednesday that extremist factions were planning a demonstration. However, the intelligence failed to identify the precise location where protesters intended to gather, preventing law enforcement from deploying adequate resources to the scene in advance.

The operational failure allowed dozens of rioters to arrive unimpeded at Justice Sohlberg's home in Alon Shvut, where they proceeded to shatter windows, destroy planters, and cause extensive damage to the property and the justice's vehicle. The attack occurred while Sohlberg, his wife, children, and grandchildren were inside the residence, witnessing the vandalism firsthand.

Police on the scene after violent extremist haredim cause serious damage to Judge Sohlberg's home nad car (Photo: Chaim Goldberg / Flash90)

A police source confirmed to Ynet that "the matter is being examined," offering no further details on how the intelligence gap occurred or what measures are being implemented to prevent similar failures.

The violent demonstration was organized in direct response to a recent Supreme Court ruling authored by Justice Sohlberg, which mandated intensified enforcement operations against ultra-Orthodox draft evaders. The decision has triggered escalating tensions between law enforcement and segments of the Haredi community, with mainstream ultra-Orthodox publications now framing the draft enforcement campaign as an existential threat.

62 Arrested, Spent Night in Bus

Police arrested 62 individuals in connection with the raid. The detainees spent the night confined to the bus they had used to travel to the scene, which officers intercepted as the group attempted to leave following the attack. Large police contingents blocked the vehicle's departure after the extent of property damage became apparent.

The arrested individuals are scheduled to appear Thursday at Jerusalem Magistrate's Court, where prosecutors are expected to request significant remand extensions for multiple suspects given the severity of the incident. The hearing will determine whether authorities can hold the detainees pending investigation and potential indictment.

rioters raid the private home of Supreme Court Deputy President Noam Sohlberg. (Photo: Haim Goldberg/flash90)

Political Leaders Condemn Attack

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a sharp condemnation of the violence, stating that he "strongly denounces the violent rioting against Justice Noam Sohlberg" and declaring that "law enforcement authorities must bring the full severity of the law against the rioters."

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who oversees the police, emphasized that "freedom of protest is a fundamental right, but it does not include freedom of anarchy. I strongly condemn the extremist minority that threw stones, acted violently, and disrupted order outside Justice Sohlberg's home." Ben Gvir added: "This is not the way of Torah and this is not the way of a democratic state."

Supreme Court President Isaac Amit, together with Courts Administration Director Tzachi Uziel, issued an unusually forceful joint statement to all judges and court personnel. The letter characterized the incident as "crossing a red line, behavior that far exceeds the boundaries of legitimate protest and constitutes an attempt to harm the sense of security of judicial officials and their families."

Amit declared unequivocally: "Intimidation attempts will not deter us. Israel's judges will continue to rule without fear."

Haredi extremists attack home of Supreme Court Deputy President Noam Sohlberg (Photo: Haim Goldberg/flash90)

Haredi Leaders Issue Dual Message

Leaders of the ultra-Orthodox political factions issued a carefully calibrated statement after midnight that both condemned the violence and sharply criticized the Supreme Court. Shas chairman Aryeh Deri, United Torah Judaism leaders Moshe Gafni and Yitzchak Goldknopf released a joint declaration denouncing the attack while framing it within what they described as systematic persecution of Torah scholars.

"We are pained and shocked by the ongoing campaign of persecution and trampling of Torah students by Supreme Court justices," the statement read. "We warned repeatedly that these measures would lead to escalation and anarchy, and unfortunately we are seeing these concerns materialize."

The leaders emphasized: "We strongly condemn any act of violence, of any kind. Violence is contrary to the way of Torah and is utterly unacceptable." However, they immediately pivoted to demanding that right-wing political leaders who condemned the incident also denounce "the ongoing and cruel persecution" of yeshiva students. "The blood of Torah scholars is not hefker," the statement concluded, using a Hebrew legal term meaning ownerless or unprotected.