Olmert: 'This is a group of thugs' trying to silence people

Far-right agitator arrested for allegedly spitting on ex-PM Olmert

Judge releases Eliran Simantov, admitting crime likely took place but not severe enough to keep him behind bars; suspect says he was at scene to see a movie, but doesn’t recall which one

A Tel Aviv court on Wednesday ordered the conditional release of a far-right activist accused of spitting on former prime minister Ehud Olmert.

Police arrested Tel Aviv resident Eliran Simantov, 40, on Tuesday night for allegedly spitting and cursing at Olmert at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque, where the former premier was attending a conference.

Simantov is an associate of another, more well-known far-right agitator, Mordechai David, who films himself accosting political figures seen as adversarial to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Simantov denied spitting on Olmert, and told investigators he only swore at him. He claimed that he had been at the cinematheque to see a movie but couldn’t say which one, according to Hebrew media.

The police reportedly said that they were called after Olmert’s security guards intervened.

They noted that Simantov has a criminal record.

Speaking to Ynet, Olmert said, “I’m glad he was arrested. This is a group of thugs trying to scare anyone who dares to talk about the government and its leaders as they should be talked about.”

“I wasn’t impacted by the attempted assault and spitting, but it’s good that the police are treating this seriously,” he added.

The judge ruled that although there is reasonable suspicion that the offense took place, continued detention was not justified. The judge ordered Simantov to be released under restrictive conditions, including a ban on contacting Olmert.

Olmert served as premier from 2006 to 2009 and was convicted of bribery and other crimes in several cases.

He has also been severely critical of the policies of successive governments headed by Netanyahu.

In March, the former premier urged The Hague to prosecute violent settlers who are “assisted, supported and inspired by government circles” as they seek to clear Palestinians from areas in the West Bank with attacks reminiscent of those “once directed against Jews in Europe.”