Eitan Biran’s grandfather was interrogated, sent to 5 days of house arrest

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Shmuel Peleg, the maternal grandfather of the six-year-old boy who was the sole survivor of a cable car accident in northern Italy in May, was questioned by police on Tuesday and sent home five days into custody domiciled after illegally taking his grandson to Israel, The Jerusalem Post has confirmed.

Earlier in the day, the boy’s paternal relatives, who were assigned custody of the child, applied to a Tel Aviv family court to ask for his return.

Eitan Biran was picked up Saturday at his home in Pavia, Italy, for a routine visit from his grandfather, but it was later learned that the boy had been illegally taken to Israel on a private flight.

Immediately after learning that the child was in Israel, Biran’s aunt, Aya, filed a petition in Italian court, where an investigation was opened against Peleg for alleged kidnapping.

Peleg’s lawyers in Italy have acknowledged that he had taken the boy to Israel saying he had “acted on impulse” as he was concerned about his grandson’s health and after being excluded from legal proceedings related to the boy’s custody.

According to a statement from the Peleg family, Peleg cooperated with police and answered all questions. He was released at his home under restrictive conditions until Friday.

“Eitan’s arrival in Israel was carried out legally and after legal consultations,” Peleg said.

Prosecutor Armando Simbari, who is helping the paternal aunt in the case, said they were confident the boy would return.

FRIEND WITH little Eitan in Milan (credit: FACEBOOK)FRIEND WITH little Eitan in Milan (credit: FACEBOOK)

“We know there are legal instruments to recover a child who was brought home this way,” he said. “There are international standards … signed by Israel.”

Italian media reported on Tuesday that the Italian Foreign Ministry had already contacted its Israeli counterpart to discuss the issue.

The crash killed 14 people, including Eitan’s father, Amit, his mother, Tal Peleg, his one-year-old brother, Tom, and his great-grandparents, Barbara Cohen Konisky and Itshak Cohen.

Italian authorities assigned custody of Eitan to his aunt Aya, Amit’s sister and a doctor who lives with her family, including two daughters around Eitan’s age, in the suburbs of Pavia. The Biran family had moved there five years ago to allow Amit to study medicine.

However, in recent months there have been fierce controversies between Eitan’s paternal and maternal relatives, accusing the latter of holding the child “hostage” and ignoring his Israeli and Jewish identity.
Meanwhile, the Peleg family has hired Ronen Tzur, a communications superstrategist, who in the past was an adviser to Defense Minister Benny Gantz.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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