Police detained far-right provocateur Mordechai David on Monday after he harassed Arab Israeli journalist Lucy Aharish and her husband, actor Tsahi Halevi, while they left the Tel Aviv District Court.

Footage of the incident showed a group of civilian volunteers forming a circle around the news anchor and her husband as they exited the courtroom and walked out the door to catch a taxi, while David and several right-wing activists hounded the pair.

After David followed the couple for several minutes, officers were seen taking him to a police car.

According to the Civil Support, a group of activists who came to the courthouse to guard Aharish, officers detained David and took him to a police station for questioning.

Police announced later Monday that David had been transferred to house arrest after his interrogation at the station. He was questioned on suspicion of assault, disorderly conduct, and invasion of privacy, police added.

David had serially harassed Aharish for several months, and was subject to a temporary restraining order after showing up on her doorstep in February alongside more than a dozen other right-wing agitators.

מרדכי דוד נלקח לתחנת המשטרה.צילום: עפרי איתן pic.twitter.com/cnN4CniyO7 — הסיוע האזרחי (@civil_support1) June 15, 2026

מרדכי דוד נלקח לתחנת המשטרה.צילום: עפרי איתן pic.twitter.com/cnN4CniyO7

— הסיוע האזרחי (@civil_support1) June 15, 2026

ِAharish and her husband arrived in court Monday for a hearing on an appeal filed by Likud activist Rami Ben-Yehuda in Aharish’s ongoing lawsuit against him, the pro-government Channel 14 outlet reported.

In March, Aharish sued Ben-Yehuda, an associate of David, accusing him of leading a harassment campaign against her, and demanding NIS 2.6........

© The Times of Israel