16 sept 2018
Reports in Yedioth Ahronoth suggest a committee is expected to be set up, which will examine a possibility of shortening prison sentences of those who have been given terms of life imprisonment by military courts in West Bank; Defense Minister Lieberman: 'No terrorist will have his sentence shortened by even one hour.'
An official order is expected to be issued soon by announcing the establishment of a committee that will examine parole requests of prisoners who are serving life sentences imposed on them by military courts in the West Bank, according to Sunday reports in Yedioth Ahronoth.
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman addressed the issue via his official Twitter account.
"As long as I am the defense minister, no terrorist will have his sentence shortened by even one hour,” Lieberman exclaimed.
Currently there are dozens of terrorists in Israeli prisons who are serving life sentences, including those who carried out terror attacks on Israeli soil.
The policy, that was in place up to this point, did not allow the shortening of life sentences for terrorists. However, it has now been decided to equate the rights of those tried in military courts to prisoners who were convicted by civil courts.
The establishment of the committee will be accompanied by a legislative amendment, which is currently being drafted by the IDF.
The planned move was revealed during a hearing in the High Court of Justice (HCJ) regarding a parole request of a terrorist, who murdered the late Ziva Goldovsky, to be released from prison after serving 30 years, on the grounds that the current policy discriminates between those who are tried in West Bank’s military courts and those tried in civil courts in Israel.
The murderer, who underwent a rehabilitation process in prison, appealed multiple times to military elements, who have full sovereignty in the West Bank, with a request to be pardoned, but it had always been rejected.
During the latest hearing, the HJC judges decided once again to reject the terrorist’s appeal and not interfere with military considerations. However, as part of the appeal’s discussions, the plans for a change in the long-term policy were unveiled.
The terrorist’s appeal emphasizes the issue of alleged discrimination between trials in military and civil courts.
“GOC Central Command has almost completely ignored the issue of shortening sentences of those who have been given life in prison by military courts and went on to serve their sentences in Israeli prisons,” it stressed.
The appeal also suggested that prisoners who were tried in the Israeli prison system are free to appeal to a special release committee, whereas prisoners tried in the West Bank are unable to do so.
"The conditions of imprisonment of those tried in the West Bank—who serve their sentences in Israel, should be equal to the terms of imprisonment of those tried in Israel,” the terrorist’s legal team argued, adding the current situation is not in line with “administrative correctness,” and undermines respect for “human dignity.
An official order is expected to be issued soon by announcing the establishment of a committee that will examine parole requests of prisoners who are serving life sentences imposed on them by military courts in the West Bank, according to Sunday reports in Yedioth Ahronoth.
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman addressed the issue via his official Twitter account.
"As long as I am the defense minister, no terrorist will have his sentence shortened by even one hour,” Lieberman exclaimed.
Currently there are dozens of terrorists in Israeli prisons who are serving life sentences, including those who carried out terror attacks on Israeli soil.
The policy, that was in place up to this point, did not allow the shortening of life sentences for terrorists. However, it has now been decided to equate the rights of those tried in military courts to prisoners who were convicted by civil courts.
The establishment of the committee will be accompanied by a legislative amendment, which is currently being drafted by the IDF.
The planned move was revealed during a hearing in the High Court of Justice (HCJ) regarding a parole request of a terrorist, who murdered the late Ziva Goldovsky, to be released from prison after serving 30 years, on the grounds that the current policy discriminates between those who are tried in West Bank’s military courts and those tried in civil courts in Israel.
The murderer, who underwent a rehabilitation process in prison, appealed multiple times to military elements, who have full sovereignty in the West Bank, with a request to be pardoned, but it had always been rejected.
During the latest hearing, the HJC judges decided once again to reject the terrorist’s appeal and not interfere with military considerations. However, as part of the appeal’s discussions, the plans for a change in the long-term policy were unveiled.
The terrorist’s appeal emphasizes the issue of alleged discrimination between trials in military and civil courts.
“GOC Central Command has almost completely ignored the issue of shortening sentences of those who have been given life in prison by military courts and went on to serve their sentences in Israeli prisons,” it stressed.
The appeal also suggested that prisoners who were tried in the Israeli prison system are free to appeal to a special release committee, whereas prisoners tried in the West Bank are unable to do so.
"The conditions of imprisonment of those tried in the West Bank—who serve their sentences in Israel, should be equal to the terms of imprisonment of those tried in Israel,” the terrorist’s legal team argued, adding the current situation is not in line with “administrative correctness,” and undermines respect for “human dignity.
14 sept 2018
On Thursday evening, the Israeli military court in Salem army base, in northern West Bank, sentenced a Palestinian teenage boy, who suffers from a rare childhood condition, to two years in prison.
The teen, Anas Hamarsha, 17, was abducted from his home in Ya’bad town, south of the northern West Bank city of Jenin, after dozens of soldiers stormed the property and ransacked it on October 7th, 2017.
The Israeli army claimed he hurled a pipe bomb at a car of a colonialist settler.
His trial was delayed ten times before he was finally sentenced, especially since his case was labeled as a “secret file,” an issue that imposed restrictions on the alleged information, and indictment, against him.
Hamarsha suffers from a rare childhood condition, known as Perthes disease, which occurs when blood supply to the rounded head of the femur (thighbone) is temporarily disrupted.
Immediately after abducting him, the soldiers took him to the al-Jalama interrogation facility, where he was denied medical treatment, including when he was transferred to the children’s branch of Majeddo prison.
The family stated that the Israeli Prison Authority is also denying Anas the right to receive the needed medical treatment.
It is worth mentioning that Anas’s father and brother are both imprisoned by Israel, and his mother was previously detained for several months.
He was a high-school student when he was taken prisoner, and has been denied the right to continue his education.
The teen, Anas Hamarsha, 17, was abducted from his home in Ya’bad town, south of the northern West Bank city of Jenin, after dozens of soldiers stormed the property and ransacked it on October 7th, 2017.
The Israeli army claimed he hurled a pipe bomb at a car of a colonialist settler.
His trial was delayed ten times before he was finally sentenced, especially since his case was labeled as a “secret file,” an issue that imposed restrictions on the alleged information, and indictment, against him.
Hamarsha suffers from a rare childhood condition, known as Perthes disease, which occurs when blood supply to the rounded head of the femur (thighbone) is temporarily disrupted.
Immediately after abducting him, the soldiers took him to the al-Jalama interrogation facility, where he was denied medical treatment, including when he was transferred to the children’s branch of Majeddo prison.
The family stated that the Israeli Prison Authority is also denying Anas the right to receive the needed medical treatment.
It is worth mentioning that Anas’s father and brother are both imprisoned by Israel, and his mother was previously detained for several months.
He was a high-school student when he was taken prisoner, and has been denied the right to continue his education.
11 sept 2018
An Israeli High Court ruling giving the Government of Israel the green light to demolish the entire Palestinian Bedouin community of Khan al-Ahmar Ab al Helu, has been described as “appalling” by two UN human rights experts.
“It is gravely disappointing that a High Court can take a decision that is totally against the fundamental principles of international human rights law and international humanitarian law,” said Michael Lynk, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967 and Leilani Farha, the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living.
“This appalling decision could trigger the eviction of 180 inhabitants, including more than 90 children, putting them at imminent risk of forcible transfer,” they added.
“Forced eviction constitutes a gross violation of the right to adequate housing under international human rights law. In addition, forcible transfer of people who are protected within an occupied territory is a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention, and amounts to a war crime under the 1998 Rome Statute,” the experts said.
“If the demolition of the village goes ahead and results in the residents having to move out of their current location, all those responsible for this international crime should be held accountable”, they added.
The Special Rapporteurs also urged Israel, as the occupying power, to stop the eviction.
“It is time to regularize their situation and respect the rights of the Khan al-Ahmar residents to remain on the lands they have inhabited for decades,” the experts added.
The experts’ comments follow an Israeli decision on 5 September to dismiss the latest petitions by residents of Khan al-Ahmar, some 15 km northeast of Jerusalem in the West Bank.
The residents of Khan al-Ahmar are descendants of Bedouins expelled from the Negev by Israel in the 1950s. They were relocated on the outskirts of occupied Jerusalem. Their village is situated between two large Israeli settlements, Ma’ale Adumim and Kfar Adumim, and an Israeli industrial zone called Mishor Adumim.
The residents have been subjected to constant pressure by the Israeli occupation authorities and neighboring settlers and have been living in what has been described as an “increasingly coercive environment” that may leave no other choice to the community but to move.
“It is gravely disappointing that a High Court can take a decision that is totally against the fundamental principles of international human rights law and international humanitarian law,” said Michael Lynk, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967 and Leilani Farha, the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living.
“This appalling decision could trigger the eviction of 180 inhabitants, including more than 90 children, putting them at imminent risk of forcible transfer,” they added.
“Forced eviction constitutes a gross violation of the right to adequate housing under international human rights law. In addition, forcible transfer of people who are protected within an occupied territory is a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention, and amounts to a war crime under the 1998 Rome Statute,” the experts said.
“If the demolition of the village goes ahead and results in the residents having to move out of their current location, all those responsible for this international crime should be held accountable”, they added.
The Special Rapporteurs also urged Israel, as the occupying power, to stop the eviction.
“It is time to regularize their situation and respect the rights of the Khan al-Ahmar residents to remain on the lands they have inhabited for decades,” the experts added.
The experts’ comments follow an Israeli decision on 5 September to dismiss the latest petitions by residents of Khan al-Ahmar, some 15 km northeast of Jerusalem in the West Bank.
The residents of Khan al-Ahmar are descendants of Bedouins expelled from the Negev by Israel in the 1950s. They were relocated on the outskirts of occupied Jerusalem. Their village is situated between two large Israeli settlements, Ma’ale Adumim and Kfar Adumim, and an Israeli industrial zone called Mishor Adumim.
The residents have been subjected to constant pressure by the Israeli occupation authorities and neighboring settlers and have been living in what has been described as an “increasingly coercive environment” that may leave no other choice to the community but to move.
9 sept 2018
Yael Weissman, whose husband, Yanai, was murdered in 2016 in a supermarket by 2 teenage Palestinian terrorists, pens letter to judges as they prepare to hand down their sentence, explaining the 'huge empty void' left by his death; ‘These wretched murderers deserve the death penalty.’
The widow of Sgt. Tuvia Yanai Weissman, who was killed in 2016 during a terror attack carried out by Palestinian teenagers, has written a letter calling on the judges to impose the death sentence on the terrorist who murdered her husband.
“I will ask the honorable judge to read my letter, which expresses a little bit of what one small family is going through—a widowed mother, and a frail little daughter—who all that is left for them of their Yanai are memories, longing, and a huge empty void that was left by our Yanai, who was decorated for his acts of bravery, a hero in his death, but mostly a hero in his life,” wrote Yael Weissman in a letter set to be read to the judges as they give their sentence.
Two Palestinians, aged 14 from Beitunia, carried out a stabbing attack in the Sha'ar Binyamin Industrial Zone north of Jerusalem in February 2016 in a Rami Levi supermarket.
A third terrorist invovled unsuccessfully attempted to enter the the supermarket to join the attack.
Weissman, 21, was killed and a 36-year-old Israeli civilian was moderately wounded. Shoppers there pushed the terrorists back with shopping carts and a civilian at the scene then shot them, seriously wounding them.
All three terrorists were immediately caught and indictments were filed against them.
In her letter, Yael goes on to describe her husband, who served in the Nahal Brigade.
“Yanai was the first to get to the scene and fought with the terrorists and pushed one away from his victim, thereby saving his life. During the fight Yanai was stabbed and suffered serious injuries. At that point I was shielding Netta with my body during what was happening in a back aisle,” she said in reference to her daughter, who was four months old at the time.
“I began looking for Yanai, I ran between the aisles of the supermarket and what I saw and experienced I will never be able to forget. The amount of blood that was there, the screams of pain,” she recalls in the letter.
At the conclusion of the letter, Yael addresses the judges directly, recalling her experiences since Yanai was killed, before calling on the courts to use the full weight of the law against the terrorists.
“I am sure that Netta will be proud of her father when she grows up. I want Netta to grow up and know that there is no place in our country, in our environment, for the wretched and evil who choose evil,” she wrote.
“Yanai sacrificed his life, and both Netta and I sacrifice our lives every day, every hour, every minute as we continue to live without him. I call on the court, the honorable judge, to give the maximum punishment—the death penalty, which the wretched murderers deserve.”
A court discussion on the sentencing of one of the terrorists is set to take place on Wednesday in the military court in Ofer. The judicial process is still ongoing against two of the other terrorists.
The widow of Sgt. Tuvia Yanai Weissman, who was killed in 2016 during a terror attack carried out by Palestinian teenagers, has written a letter calling on the judges to impose the death sentence on the terrorist who murdered her husband.
“I will ask the honorable judge to read my letter, which expresses a little bit of what one small family is going through—a widowed mother, and a frail little daughter—who all that is left for them of their Yanai are memories, longing, and a huge empty void that was left by our Yanai, who was decorated for his acts of bravery, a hero in his death, but mostly a hero in his life,” wrote Yael Weissman in a letter set to be read to the judges as they give their sentence.
Two Palestinians, aged 14 from Beitunia, carried out a stabbing attack in the Sha'ar Binyamin Industrial Zone north of Jerusalem in February 2016 in a Rami Levi supermarket.
A third terrorist invovled unsuccessfully attempted to enter the the supermarket to join the attack.
Weissman, 21, was killed and a 36-year-old Israeli civilian was moderately wounded. Shoppers there pushed the terrorists back with shopping carts and a civilian at the scene then shot them, seriously wounding them.
All three terrorists were immediately caught and indictments were filed against them.
In her letter, Yael goes on to describe her husband, who served in the Nahal Brigade.
“Yanai was the first to get to the scene and fought with the terrorists and pushed one away from his victim, thereby saving his life. During the fight Yanai was stabbed and suffered serious injuries. At that point I was shielding Netta with my body during what was happening in a back aisle,” she said in reference to her daughter, who was four months old at the time.
“I began looking for Yanai, I ran between the aisles of the supermarket and what I saw and experienced I will never be able to forget. The amount of blood that was there, the screams of pain,” she recalls in the letter.
At the conclusion of the letter, Yael addresses the judges directly, recalling her experiences since Yanai was killed, before calling on the courts to use the full weight of the law against the terrorists.
“I am sure that Netta will be proud of her father when she grows up. I want Netta to grow up and know that there is no place in our country, in our environment, for the wretched and evil who choose evil,” she wrote.
“Yanai sacrificed his life, and both Netta and I sacrifice our lives every day, every hour, every minute as we continue to live without him. I call on the court, the honorable judge, to give the maximum punishment—the death penalty, which the wretched murderers deserve.”
A court discussion on the sentencing of one of the terrorists is set to take place on Wednesday in the military court in Ofer. The judicial process is still ongoing against two of the other terrorists.
8 sept 2018
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Following release of footage showing 16-year-old Ahmad Abu Tayoor being shot to death by Israeli forces during violent border clashes, IDF says it will investigate events that lead to alleged killing of Abu Tayoor and another Palestinian teen on Friday. video
The IDF announced on Saturday it will investigate the claims of a fatal shooting of two Palestinian teens by Israeli forces during violent, weekly riots that erupted along the Gaza border fence on Friday. “The incidents will be investigated by the relevant command echelons. The cases in which two Palestinians were allegedly killed will be transferred for examination to the IDF's General Staff,” stressed the IDF statement. |
Earlier, the Palestinians released footage of an alleged shooting of 16-year-old Ahmad Abu Tayoor, who later succumbed to his wounds, by the IDF during Friday’s clashes.
The footage shows Abu Tayoor throwing rocks at the border fence and shouting at soldiers who were observing the incident from their position on the Israeli side of the border.
The IDF Spokesperson's Unit issued an official response to the incident.
"During violent riots that erupted along the border fence in the Gaza Strip yesterday, IDF soldiers were prompted to use crowd dispersal measures in accordance with the regulations in response to attempts to breach the fence and harm our forces,” added the statement.
"The rioters burned tires and threw rocks and explosive devices at the forces. We are also aware that two people—who took part in violent clashes on Friday—reported to have been killed,” the statement concluded.
Another Palestinian teen was shot during the demonstration in the southern Gaza Strip. The Palestinian health ministry said Friday that the teen, 17, was killed by a gunshot to the chest during the riots.
In addition, on Saturday afternoon IDF forces identified four Palestinians who were trying to breach the border fence in the northern Gaza Strip. The IDF Spokesperson's Unit later said the soldiers had arrested the suspects, who were armed with a knife and an axe, and transferred them for further questioning.
Earlier on Friday, IDF Spokesperson's Unit said that IAF had attacked a Hamas observation post in northern Gaza in retaliation to "March of Return" protesters throwing grenades at soldiers near the border fence.
Addressing the exchange of accusations between Hamas and Fatah at the Cairo reconciliation talks, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said that the mass participation (of Gaza residents in the "March of Return" riots) and clashes with Israel along the border fence are proof that only those who hold weapons and make sacrifices for their people are the representatives of the Palestinian nation, slamming those who cooperate with Israel.
Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya said while visiting the border fence on Friday, that the patience of the Palestinian people is coming to an end in reference to the siege on Gaza, and that all those involved should "get the message."
The footage shows Abu Tayoor throwing rocks at the border fence and shouting at soldiers who were observing the incident from their position on the Israeli side of the border.
The IDF Spokesperson's Unit issued an official response to the incident.
"During violent riots that erupted along the border fence in the Gaza Strip yesterday, IDF soldiers were prompted to use crowd dispersal measures in accordance with the regulations in response to attempts to breach the fence and harm our forces,” added the statement.
"The rioters burned tires and threw rocks and explosive devices at the forces. We are also aware that two people—who took part in violent clashes on Friday—reported to have been killed,” the statement concluded.
Another Palestinian teen was shot during the demonstration in the southern Gaza Strip. The Palestinian health ministry said Friday that the teen, 17, was killed by a gunshot to the chest during the riots.
In addition, on Saturday afternoon IDF forces identified four Palestinians who were trying to breach the border fence in the northern Gaza Strip. The IDF Spokesperson's Unit later said the soldiers had arrested the suspects, who were armed with a knife and an axe, and transferred them for further questioning.
Earlier on Friday, IDF Spokesperson's Unit said that IAF had attacked a Hamas observation post in northern Gaza in retaliation to "March of Return" protesters throwing grenades at soldiers near the border fence.
Addressing the exchange of accusations between Hamas and Fatah at the Cairo reconciliation talks, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said that the mass participation (of Gaza residents in the "March of Return" riots) and clashes with Israel along the border fence are proof that only those who hold weapons and make sacrifices for their people are the representatives of the Palestinian nation, slamming those who cooperate with Israel.
Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya said while visiting the border fence on Friday, that the patience of the Palestinian people is coming to an end in reference to the siege on Gaza, and that all those involved should "get the message."
European Union (EU) on Saturday called on Israeli occupation authorities to reconsider their decision to demolish Khan al-Ahmar village east of Occupied Jerusalem.
A statement issued by Federica Mogherini, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said that the consequences of the demolition of the Bedouin community and the displacement of its residents would be very serious.
Mogherini added that the decision would "severely threaten the viability of the two-state solution" and "undermine prospects for peace".
Israel's Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that the temporary order freezing the demolition of Khan al-Ahmar will be invalid within seven days from that day.
A statement issued by Federica Mogherini, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said that the consequences of the demolition of the Bedouin community and the displacement of its residents would be very serious.
Mogherini added that the decision would "severely threaten the viability of the two-state solution" and "undermine prospects for peace".
Israel's Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that the temporary order freezing the demolition of Khan al-Ahmar will be invalid within seven days from that day.
6 sept 2018
Israeli soldiers demolished, on Wednesday evening, a Palestinian home in Beit Hanina neighborhood, in occupied East Jerusalem, rendering the family homeless despite a pending appeal with an Israeli court.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Silwan (Silwanic) said dozens of soldiers, and officers, invaded Beit Hanina, and forcibly removed the family, leading to scuffles, before demolishing the property. video
The demolished property is owned by Sana’ Farraj and her family of eight; it was built sixteen years ago.
It added that the soldiers also abducted two young men during the invasion and destruction of the Palestinian home.
Silwanic stated that the family has already paid high fines and fees, exceeding 250.000 Shekels, in addition to the costs of appeals in Israeli courts.
It also said that the family headed to the court again, appealing against the final decision to demolish their property, and asking for postponing the destruction, but the officers went ahead and demolished it, without allowing them to remove all of their furniture and belongings.
It is worth mentioning that the Jerusalem City Council did not respond to the appeal, and failed to deliver prior notices to the family.
In addition, the soldiers demolished a wall near the Professional Associations Complex, in Beit Hanina.
Earlier on Wednesday, the soldiers invaded Silwan town, south of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, and demolished a Palestinian home.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Silwan (Silwanic) said dozens of soldiers, and officers, invaded Beit Hanina, and forcibly removed the family, leading to scuffles, before demolishing the property. video
The demolished property is owned by Sana’ Farraj and her family of eight; it was built sixteen years ago.
It added that the soldiers also abducted two young men during the invasion and destruction of the Palestinian home.
Silwanic stated that the family has already paid high fines and fees, exceeding 250.000 Shekels, in addition to the costs of appeals in Israeli courts.
It also said that the family headed to the court again, appealing against the final decision to demolish their property, and asking for postponing the destruction, but the officers went ahead and demolished it, without allowing them to remove all of their furniture and belongings.
It is worth mentioning that the Jerusalem City Council did not respond to the appeal, and failed to deliver prior notices to the family.
In addition, the soldiers demolished a wall near the Professional Associations Complex, in Beit Hanina.
Earlier on Wednesday, the soldiers invaded Silwan town, south of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, and demolished a Palestinian home.
