Security coordinator charged after Arab seriously injured in shooting, claims self-defense

The Jerusalem District Attorney's Office filed an indictment Friday morning against Pinchas Shem Tov Ran, a security coordinator and resident of Itamar in his 30s, following a shooting incident involving a vehicle in the village of Aqraba in Judea and Samaria. An 18-year-old Palestinian woman was seriously injured in the incident. The security official is charged with serious violent offenses and obstruction of justice. The prosecution has also requested that he remain in custody until the conclusion of the legal proceedings.

The indictment was filed following a joint investigation by the Israel Police's Judea and Samaria District Central Unit and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), which examined suspicions of violent conduct involving actions beyond the authority and geographical areas of responsibility of those involved. According to the indictment, Ran entered the Palestinian village of Aqraba, outside his area of responsibility, in a Ranger utility vehicle together with a career IDF soldier.

He allegedly conducted identity checks without authorization and opened fire with an Arad assault rifle at a vehicle carrying a couple after the driver failed to comply with his instructions to stop. Two bullets struck the woman in her upper body. She underwent surgery and required hospitalization for several days. Ran's younger brother, Major Or Yosef (Orush) Ran, a soldier and commander in the Duvdevan Unit, fell in battle on October 7, 2023, while defending Kibbutz Kfar Aza, after fighting terrorists, saving lives, and helping evacuate residents of the kibbutz.

At the center of Ran's account is an incident that he claims began with an immediate threat to his life. According to Ran, while traveling in a Ranger utility vehicle as part of his duties, together with another officer, a vehicle without license plates suddenly approached them near the village of Aqraba. The two claim that the vehicle sped toward them in a manner that led them to fear an attempted ramming attack, forcing them to jump aside to avoid being struck.

According to his account, after escaping the danger, Ran fired warning shots into the air in an attempt to stop the vehicle. However, the vehicle continued driving and fled rapidly into the village. Ran therefore maintains that the shooting followed an incident he perceived as a genuine threat to his life and that of the officer accompanying him, rather than an incident he had initiated. Following the incident, he was arrested by the Shin Bet and brought before a court.

Now, with the filing of the indictment, his account will be examined as part of the legal proceedings. The specific charges and the prosecution's full account were not included in the material provided. Ran enters the legal proceedings after many years of combat service and assistance to the security forces. He completed his mandatory military service as a combat soldier in the Paratroopers Brigade's 101st Battalion and subsequently served for years as a reservist in Battalion 697 of Brigade 551, the Fire Arrows Formation.

Since the outbreak of the Swords of Iron War, he has accumulated more than 600 days of reserve duty, according to the information provided. During this period, he participated in combat operations in the Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon and continued volunteering for operational missions even when his fellow team members took breaks for rest and recuperation. Among other roles, he served as an operational driver and assisted forces from the Golani Brigade and the Border Police's undercover unit in Judea and Samaria.

Throughout his service, he received certificates of excellence and appreciation. Last September, during Rosh Hashanah 5787, he was selected as an outstanding community security coordinator by the commander of the Samaria Brigade. He also received a certificate of appreciation for his service alongside the Border Police's Judea and Samaria undercover unit. Alongside his military service, Ran has also experienced the loss of a family member in battle.

His younger brother, Major Or Yosef (Orush) Ran, of blessed memory, fell on October 7 during the battle for Kibbutz Kfar Aza, after fighting terrorists and helping rescue and evacuate residents. The Ran family has six sons, all of whom served as combat soldiers. Even after his brother's death, Pinchas continued reporting for reserve duty and participating in operational missions. This conduct features prominently in letters of support and recommendation submitted to the court by commanders and officers who served alongside him over the years.

One of the letters was written by Major Dr. Limon Adam, deputy commander of Battalion 697 and former commander of its support company, who fought alongside Ran in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. "Pinchas exemplifies professionalism, seriousness, personal responsibility, and humanity," he wrote. "Pinchas fought shoulder to shoulder with me throughout all the periods of combat, during the ground maneuver in Beit Hanoun, and from there in the fighting in the Al-Atatra neighborhood, Beit Lahia, and the Rimal neighborhood, and afterward in the defensive battle in the north against Hezbollah."

Later in his letter, Adam also addressed one of the most difficult moments in Ran's life. "When he learned that his brother, the late Or Ran, had fallen in battle in Kfar Aza, he refused to leave his fellow unit members." Lieutenant Colonel (res.) Tzach Eckstein, former commander of Battalion 697 in Brigade 551, also submitted a letter to the court describing Ran's continued commitment to operational service, even after his family's loss.

"Pinchas continued volunteering for reserve duty and reporting for repeated rounds of combat in Lebanon and Gaza. Time and again, he chose to continue shouldering the burden and even volunteered beyond what was required," Eckstein wrote. He asked the court to take these circumstances into account when considering Ran's case. Another letter was submitted by Major (res.) Rotem Shaked Aharon, operations officer of the support company in Battalion 697, who has known and commanded Ran for 16 years.

Aharon emphasized Ran's operational experience and his conduct throughout their years of service together. "Over the years, Pinchas demonstrated a deep commitment to the mission, personal responsibility, dedication, and fighting spirit, and participated in many of the unit's operational processes and successes," he wrote. According to Aharon, his longstanding familiarity with Ran also enables him to testify to his character. "Based on my longstanding acquaintance with Pinchas, both personally and at the command and professional levels, I believe he is a man of values, with a sense of responsibility and a deep commitment to service and society."

Additional testimony regarding Ran's operational performance was provided by Warrant Officer (res.) Amit Barak, the mobility officer of Battalion 697, who also served alongside Ran on missions outside the battalion's regular framework. "Pinchas repeatedly chose to volunteer and assist, and even volunteered to help the Golani Reconnaissance Unit during the first ground maneuver in Lebanon, in the Maroun al-Ras sector," Barak wrote. He noted that the two subsequently served together on missions assisting the undercover unit in Judea and Samaria.

Barak concluded his letter with a personal expression of appreciation. "I would wish for everyone to have Pinchas by their side during a combat incident or any other complex situation. He always acted calmly, responsibly, and with sound judgment."