Police questioned an 83-year-old Bedouin man from Rahat, father to 45 children, on suspicion of polygamy and offenses related to illegal residency in Israel. According to the investigation, he is married to nine women, five of whom are not Israeli citizens, including residents of the ‘Palestinian’ Authority.
The investigation was opened by the polygamy unit of the Central Unit in the Southern District following information received in May. Last week, one of his wives, a resident of the Dahriya area, was located and detained for questioning, then deported from Israel. The suspect was also questioned on suspicion of housing and transporting illegal residents and was released under restrictive conditions, including house arrest.
In a separate case, a 40-year-old resident of Bir al-Haj was questioned on suspicion that he was married to two women and married a third woman on July 30. Shortly after the wedding, he left with her for a honeymoon in Barcelona, and on August 15 was arrested immediately upon their return to Israel in a joint operation by detectives from the Central Unit and Ben Gurion Airport police. The third wife was detained for questioning, and police also took testimony from his two other wives.
The suspect was questioned on suspicion of polygamy and released under restrictive conditions. Police said additional evidence was collected linking him to the alleged offense. Investigations in both cases are ongoing, and after completion, the files will be transferred to the Southern District Attorney’s Office for review.