The Jerusalem District Court on Sunday upheld a military administrative restriction order imposed on settler Tal Yinon Dardik, who is suspected of involvement in nationalist-motivated violence in the West Bank. The ruling maintained that Dardik continues to pose a security risk warranting full house arrest but struck down the specific requirement that he be confined to his mother-in-law’s home in the settlement of Adei Ad without her consent.

Judge Avraham Dan Rubin affirmed a previous decision by a military appeals committee that had found the restrictions justified based on intelligence indicating Dardik’s potential threat to security. However, the court agreed with the committee’s determination that the military cannot compel a third party to host Dardik against their will. As a result, while the house arrest order remains in effect, the particular condition requiring Dardik to stay at his mother-in-law’s residence was nullified.

The court’s ruling does not release Dardik nor remove the restrictions currently imposed; rather, it permits the IDF Central Command chief, Maj.-Gen. Avi Bluth, to establish new house arrest conditions. Rubin set a deadline for these revisions, stating they must be issued by 11 a.m. Tuesday to take effect. The judge noted that any new conditions set by Bluth would still be subject to challenge before the military appeals committee.

Dardik, who faces charges related to six counts of violating a lawful order, declined to comply with the initial house arrest condition after his mother-in-law refused to consent to his stay. He remains in custody pending a separate criminal case associated with the nationalist violence allegations. Rubin clarified that the appeal before the District Court addresses only the administrative restrictions, not the ongoing criminal proceedings, which are to be determined by the relevant court.

The military restrictions stemmed from a June 9 order issued by Bluth following recommendations from the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), as prosecutors cited insufficient evidence to bring criminal charges initially. The order mandated Dardik’s full house arrest for six months.

This case unfolds amid a broader dispute between Defense Minister Israel Katz and Maj.-Gen. Bluth regarding the military’s use of administrative restrictions against Jewish extremists suspected of attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank. Katz has publicly opposed prolonged administrative restrictions, having ended the use of administrative detention against Jewish suspects earlier in the summer. He has also expressed personal support for Dardik, visiting him in detention and criticizing the restriction measures in media interviews. Last week, Katz threatened to remove Bluth from his post over the appeal decision but later retracted the statement.

Despite the political tensions, the court’s ruling upheld the core security assessment that justified the administrative restrictions. Rubin described the original decision to impose house arrest as “justified, proportionate and reasonable,” affirming that Dardik’s status as a security risk remains unchanged. The ruling leaves open several options for new house arrest conditions, including residence at a different approved location or geographically defined restrictions coupled with electronic monitoring.