The Lod Central District Court on Tuesday reversed a lower court’s decision in the case of Tzachi Braverman, chief of staff to the prime minister and Israel’s ambassador-designate to the United Kingdom, siding with police and restoring a series of restrictions against him.

Judge Michael Kershen of the District Court ruled in favor of the police appeal, reimposing the limitations that had previously been lifted. These include a prohibition on leaving the country, suspension from his position at the Prime Minister’s Office, and a ban on communicating with a wide range of officials connected to the office.

In explaining his decision, Kershen said that after examining the investigative materials, he concluded that the level of reasonable suspicion against Braverman had increased. He wrote that this conclusion should already have been reached when the matter was first considered by the Magistrate’s Court, and that in the days since that ruling, the suspicions had only deepened.

Kershen also criticized the earlier decision by Magistrate’s Court President Menachem Mizrahi, rejecting the notion that concerns about obstruction were merely theoretical. He stated that the danger of interference with the investigation was significant. The judge cautioned that permitting Braverman to remain overseas—particularly in the capacity of ambassador to the United Kingdom—given his knowledge of internal government systems, could severely undermine the ongoing probe.

The District Court further noted that giving advance notice to a suspect before questioning may open the door to potential interference. Kershen wrote that the risk of such actions at a sensitive stage of the investigation could not be dismissed.

In their appeal, police maintained that the actions attributed to Braverman, as well as the circumstances surrounding them, required his removal from both the Prime Minister’s Office and the Kirya. They argued that fears of obstruction are central to the case and justify the restrictive measures now reinstated by the court.