Rabbi Yossef Mendelblitz Urges Israel's Defense Minister to Release Prisoner Tel Yinnon Deradik

Rabbi Yossef Mendelblitz, known from the "Operation Wedding" saga, sent a direct appeal to Israel's defense minister, Yoav Gallant, demanding the immediate revocation of the administrative detention order against Tel Yinnon Deradik. Mendelblitz recalled a past collaboration with Gallant during the former agriculture minister's tenure, drawing a parallel to the release of Jonathan Polard, and urged the minister to act swiftly.

Deradik, a resident of Havat Yaakov in the Benjamin region, has been held for roughly three weeks under a military order that required him to remain under house arrest in his wife's home despite her severe hearing impairment. His lawyers argue the order is impractical, yet he was arrested shortly after. Since his detention, Deradik has been on a hunger strike for 20 days, with his health deteriorating and experiencing repeated fainting episodes. His supporters have petitioned for urgent medical transfer to a hospital.

The rabbi’s letter also criticized the broader use of administrative detention against settlers in Judea and Samaria, echoing a simultaneous call from dozens of Knesset members and Likud leaders to halt such orders.