BREAKING: IDF Reservist Ari Rosenfeld to be released to house arrest – Today

The State Prosecution has officially confirmed it will not oppose releasing Ari Rosenfeld to house arrest under electronic monitoring, citing "changed circumstances in professional authorities' positions."

This comes after the Jerusalem District Court is reviewing a State Prosecution request today (Thursday) to release Rosenfeld to house arrest, marking a potential turning point in a case that has sparked national debate over Israel's treatment of the former military intelligence officer.

The State Prosecution released this statement:

"The State Prosecution has informed the Tel Aviv District Court that due to changed circumstances in professional authorities' assessment of the risk posed by NCO Aaron (Ari) Rosenfeld, its updated position is that risk management in his case requires his detention until the end of proceedings under electronic monitoring.

The state's position regarding Rosenfeld's detention has consistently been based on security agencies' assessments, which were presented to both the District and Supreme Courts during detention proceedings. The previous position held that due to the extensive and unique knowledge to which the NCO was exposed, along with the actions attributed to him in the indictment and their motivations, he posed a risk that could not be mitigated by alternative detention arrangements. This position was accepted by Supreme Court Justice Alex Stein.

As part of the request for reconsideration, an updated position was received from the Shin Bet, indicating that, contrary to the position previously presented, the NCO's risk can be mitigated.

This updated Shin Bet position formed the basis for the state's agreement to examine Rosenfeld's risk level through the Probation Service, which found that after 4 months of detention, there has been a reduction in the risk he poses.

The professional authorities' current positions represent the changed circumstances underlying the state's revised position.

Given the military's position, which includes an assessment of potential damage from continued information transfer to unauthorized parties and remains unchanged, the Prosecution believes risk management in his case requires external supervision and therefore requests the District Court to order Rosenfeld's detention under electronic monitoring. This mirrors the arrangement made with the second defendant in the case, Eli Feldstein."

Rosenfeld, who served for ten years in a sensitive intelligence unit, has been held in conditions that have drawn widespread criticism - confined to a transparent cell under 24/7 surveillance, a situation that reports indicate has severely impacted his mental health.

Even after he was moved to a shared cell, recent photos showed him to be under intense stress, prompting his legal team to file an emergency petition with the Tel Aviv District Court.

The prosecution's shift in position follows mounting pressure and contradictory security assessments. Notably, Shin Bet head Tomer Bar has declared that Rosenfeld poses no security threat, a position reinforced by clinical psychologist Dr. Nimrod Shani's evaluation finding no risk of repeat offenses. Despite these assessments, bureaucratic complications have kept Rosenfeld in custody - the District Court initially supported his release without requiring a risk assessment, only to be overruled by Supreme Court Justice Stein.

The case has divided families of Hamas hostages, with ten families petitioning President Herzog for Rosenfeld's pardon, arguing he acted to ensure crucial hostage-related information reached the Prime Minister's office. Three other hostage families have opposed the pardon.

Rosenfeld was arrested several months ago for allegedly leaking classified military documents to Eli Feldstein, former diplomatic spokesperson for Prime Minister Netanyahu, which were subsequently published by German newspaper Bild. His background as a member of Israel's ultra-Orthodox community who chose to serve in military intelligence has added another dimension to the public discourse around his case.

His legal team, led by attorneys Uri Korev, Sivan Russo, and Yehoshua Lamberger, maintains that their client has acknowledged his actions and expressed clear remorse. They've offered to submit to additional probation service assessments while critiquing the slow pace of the judicial process.

The prosecution's current request for his transfer to house arrest with electronic monitoring represents a significant shift in a case that has increasingly become a focal point for debates about the balance between national security protocols and humanitarian considerations in Israel's justice system.

A court decision is expected later today on whether Rosenfeld will be permitted to return to his family in Bnei Brak under electronic monitoring, potentially ending a detention that critics argue has become more punitive than protective of national security.

UPDATE: A new problem has emerged regarding Rosenfeld's release. House arrest regulations require that the prisoner possess a land line telephone - something only a little over half of households possess as of 2018.

His relatives are seeking an alternative form of detention, and his wife shouted: "Enough with these tortures. There's a three year old child here who hasn't seen his father in four months!"