16 nov 2018
Israel’s Supreme Court issued a verdict green-lighting the demolition of the Palestinian school of Tahadi 5 in Beit Ta’mur village, east of Bethlehem.
Director of the Anti-Settlement Committee in Bethlehem Hasan Brijiya said the court rule signaled the go-ahead for the demolition of the school by the Israeli military and settlers.
Attorney Emil Mashreki will reportedly file an appeal at Israel’s Central Court to outlaw the demolition of the school.
Brijiya said the Palestinian locals will maintain vigil in the area so as to stand on guard to any projected demolition measure.
In a clear violation of all laws and human rights principles, including the right to education and access to educational institutions, many Palestinian schools in Palestinian villages and Bedouin communities are attacked by Israeli soldiers and settlers.
Director of the Anti-Settlement Committee in Bethlehem Hasan Brijiya said the court rule signaled the go-ahead for the demolition of the school by the Israeli military and settlers.
Attorney Emil Mashreki will reportedly file an appeal at Israel’s Central Court to outlaw the demolition of the school.
Brijiya said the Palestinian locals will maintain vigil in the area so as to stand on guard to any projected demolition measure.
In a clear violation of all laws and human rights principles, including the right to education and access to educational institutions, many Palestinian schools in Palestinian villages and Bedouin communities are attacked by Israeli soldiers and settlers.
15 nov 2018
Extremist Israeli settlers burned overnight Thursday a Palestinian car in Nablus and spray-painted graffiti calling for revenge against the Palestinians.
Police officers launched a probe after the locals filed a complaint over the hate crime.
The arson-attack was carried out at around 03:00 a.m.
A graffiti reading “don’t play around with us” was sprayed by the Israeli fanatics on a nearby wall.
Prejudice-motivated attacks by Israeli settlers have been a routine practice in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Settlers' violence includes property and mosque arsons, stone-throwing, uprooting of crops and olive trees, attacks on vulnerable homes, among others.
Between 500,000 and 600,000 Israelis live in Jewish-only settlements across the occupied Palestinian territories in violation of international law.
All settlements across the West Bank are illegal under international law, particularly article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which establishes that the occupying power shall not deport or forcibly transfer civilian population in territory it occupies.
Police officers launched a probe after the locals filed a complaint over the hate crime.
The arson-attack was carried out at around 03:00 a.m.
A graffiti reading “don’t play around with us” was sprayed by the Israeli fanatics on a nearby wall.
Prejudice-motivated attacks by Israeli settlers have been a routine practice in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Settlers' violence includes property and mosque arsons, stone-throwing, uprooting of crops and olive trees, attacks on vulnerable homes, among others.
Between 500,000 and 600,000 Israelis live in Jewish-only settlements across the occupied Palestinian territories in violation of international law.
All settlements across the West Bank are illegal under international law, particularly article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which establishes that the occupying power shall not deport or forcibly transfer civilian population in territory it occupies.
8 nov 2018
Achille Lauro cruise ship
In precedent-setting decision, Jerusalem District Court Judge Moshe Drori rules tort claim filed by Shurat HaDin on behalf of two Jewish American women held hostage by PLO terrorists in 1985 will be heard in Israel, despite the fact they're not citizens.
A precedent-setting decision made by Jerusalem District Court Judge Moshe Drori based on the Nation-State Law means that any Jew from anywhere in the world who comes to harm because he is Jewish could sue for damages at an Israeli court.
Judge Drori ruled on a tort claim filed by two women who were held hostages when Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) terrorists hijacked the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro in 1985.
The ruling is based, inter alia, on the Basic Law: Israel as the Nation State of the Jewish People, according to which the Jewish State is responsible for ensuring the well-being of its citizens and of those of Jewish origin who were affected by anti-Semitism.
The Achille Lauro NIS 20 million tort claim was filed in 2000 on behalf of two Jewish-American women who were abducted and held captive by PLO terrorists. The women have since passed away, and the claim was submitted on behalf of their estate by the Shurat Hadin organization.
The PLO argued that an Israeli court doesn't have the authority to review the case, since the incident did not occur within Israel's borders. Furthermore, the plaintiffs are American citizens, not Israeli.
Drori rejected those claims, ruling that the case would be heard by the Jerusalem District Court.
This is the second time Drori bases his rulings on the Nation-State Law. "The people of the Jewish nation are often harmed due to their Jewish descent, and therefore Israel must work to guarantee their safety," the judge wrote in his decision.
"Since the state failed, in this case, and the plaintiffs were hurt from a terror attack carried by the respondents, the State of Israel is obligated to allow and assist the plaintiffs to receive the highest compensation possible, according to the Israeli judicial system," Drori said.
In 1985, four terrorists took over the ship Achille Lauro while it was sailing from Alexandria to Port Said in Egypt. The terrorists threatened to hurt their hostages on the ship if 50 Palestinian security prisoners serving their sentence in Israel are not released. American Jew Leon Klinghoffer, a disabled man in a wheelchair, was shot and thrown overbroad while still alive.
The ship sailed back to Alexandria, and after two days of negotiations, the terrorists agreed to abandon the ship and were flown to Tunisia in an Egyptian plane.
"The Achille Lauro affair was one of the most horrific terror attacks carried out in Israel's history, and therefore the Israeli legal system has the authority to review it," said attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, the founder of Shurat HaDin.
"Drori's decision proves that even after 33 years, the State of Israel is responsible to hunt down those who want to harm it and will bring to justice those persecuting Jews worldwide," Darshan-Leitner added.
"Even thought so much time has passed, the PLO will not be able to harm innocent Jews and avoid punishment."
In precedent-setting decision, Jerusalem District Court Judge Moshe Drori rules tort claim filed by Shurat HaDin on behalf of two Jewish American women held hostage by PLO terrorists in 1985 will be heard in Israel, despite the fact they're not citizens.
A precedent-setting decision made by Jerusalem District Court Judge Moshe Drori based on the Nation-State Law means that any Jew from anywhere in the world who comes to harm because he is Jewish could sue for damages at an Israeli court.
Judge Drori ruled on a tort claim filed by two women who were held hostages when Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) terrorists hijacked the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro in 1985.
The ruling is based, inter alia, on the Basic Law: Israel as the Nation State of the Jewish People, according to which the Jewish State is responsible for ensuring the well-being of its citizens and of those of Jewish origin who were affected by anti-Semitism.
The Achille Lauro NIS 20 million tort claim was filed in 2000 on behalf of two Jewish-American women who were abducted and held captive by PLO terrorists. The women have since passed away, and the claim was submitted on behalf of their estate by the Shurat Hadin organization.
The PLO argued that an Israeli court doesn't have the authority to review the case, since the incident did not occur within Israel's borders. Furthermore, the plaintiffs are American citizens, not Israeli.
Drori rejected those claims, ruling that the case would be heard by the Jerusalem District Court.
This is the second time Drori bases his rulings on the Nation-State Law. "The people of the Jewish nation are often harmed due to their Jewish descent, and therefore Israel must work to guarantee their safety," the judge wrote in his decision.
"Since the state failed, in this case, and the plaintiffs were hurt from a terror attack carried by the respondents, the State of Israel is obligated to allow and assist the plaintiffs to receive the highest compensation possible, according to the Israeli judicial system," Drori said.
In 1985, four terrorists took over the ship Achille Lauro while it was sailing from Alexandria to Port Said in Egypt. The terrorists threatened to hurt their hostages on the ship if 50 Palestinian security prisoners serving their sentence in Israel are not released. American Jew Leon Klinghoffer, a disabled man in a wheelchair, was shot and thrown overbroad while still alive.
The ship sailed back to Alexandria, and after two days of negotiations, the terrorists agreed to abandon the ship and were flown to Tunisia in an Egyptian plane.
"The Achille Lauro affair was one of the most horrific terror attacks carried out in Israel's history, and therefore the Israeli legal system has the authority to review it," said attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, the founder of Shurat HaDin.
"Drori's decision proves that even after 33 years, the State of Israel is responsible to hunt down those who want to harm it and will bring to justice those persecuting Jews worldwide," Darshan-Leitner added.
"Even thought so much time has passed, the PLO will not be able to harm innocent Jews and avoid punishment."
7 nov 2018
The settlement organization known as “Regavim” has filed a lawsuit, in an Israeli court, to demolish the Tahaddi 5 school, in the Beit Ta’mar area, east of Bethlehem.
The head of the office for the Wall and Settlement Resistance Committee in Bethlehem, Hassan Brejiya, said that the lawyer of Saint Yves for defense of land, Emile Mashreqi, told the committee that the settlement institution has filed a racist claim in an Israeli court, against the school, in order to demolish it.
Brejiyya explained, according to the PNN, that the school has been subjected to demolition attempts over and over, and had previously been demolished on the first day of school, for the year 2016-2017.
He pointed out that this institution is responsible for monitoring Palestinian homes in Area C, and is always directing the Israeli Civil Administration to demolish houses and influence the suspension of construction there, as it was behind the administrative demolition in the occupied West Bank, which was stopped recently.
The head of the office for the Wall and Settlement Resistance Committee in Bethlehem, Hassan Brejiya, said that the lawyer of Saint Yves for defense of land, Emile Mashreqi, told the committee that the settlement institution has filed a racist claim in an Israeli court, against the school, in order to demolish it.
Brejiyya explained, according to the PNN, that the school has been subjected to demolition attempts over and over, and had previously been demolished on the first day of school, for the year 2016-2017.
He pointed out that this institution is responsible for monitoring Palestinian homes in Area C, and is always directing the Israeli Civil Administration to demolish houses and influence the suspension of construction there, as it was behind the administrative demolition in the occupied West Bank, which was stopped recently.
The Knesset, Israel’s parliament, intends to discuss next week on a bill that will make it easier to sentence Palestinian attackers to death, Israeli war minister Avigdor Lieberman said Tuesday, vowing to have it passed.
“After over three years of a stubborn struggle, the death penalty . . . will finally be brought to the law committee next Wednesday [Nov. 14], and then for its first reading in the Knesset plenum,” Lieberman said in Twitter remarks.
“We won’t relent or stop until completing the mission.”
The bill, which passed a preliminary vote by the full Parliament in January, would ease the requirements military courts in the occupied West Bank must meet to sentence Palestinians convicted of alleged crimes to death.
As the law stands now, a panel of three military judges must unanimously approve any death penalty in military courts.
The new bill, planned by members of Lieberman’s Yisrael Beitenu party at his behest, would change the requirement to a majority instead of unanimity.
“After over three years of a stubborn struggle, the death penalty . . . will finally be brought to the law committee next Wednesday [Nov. 14], and then for its first reading in the Knesset plenum,” Lieberman said in Twitter remarks.
“We won’t relent or stop until completing the mission.”
The bill, which passed a preliminary vote by the full Parliament in January, would ease the requirements military courts in the occupied West Bank must meet to sentence Palestinians convicted of alleged crimes to death.
As the law stands now, a panel of three military judges must unanimously approve any death penalty in military courts.
The new bill, planned by members of Lieberman’s Yisrael Beitenu party at his behest, would change the requirement to a majority instead of unanimity.
5 nov 2018
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave the green light, to the leader of the governing coalition in the Israeli Knesset, to pass a law on the Death Sentence for Palestinian detainees, Israel’s Channel 7 reported.
According to the channel, Netanyahu gave his approval to members of his Likud party to support the law on the execution of Palestinians held in Israeli jails, a law introduced by the Yisrael Beiteinu bloc headed by the Israeli Minister of Defense, Avigdor Lieberman.
PNN notes, in its report, that the adoption of the law involves a serious risk that adds thousands of question marks before the international community with its various institutions that try to show their interest in human rights.
The law, ratified by the Israeli parliament of the Knesset, in its preliminary reading, leaves many questions about the possibility of its passing and the extent of its impact on the families of Palestinian detainees.
According to the channel, Netanyahu gave his approval to members of his Likud party to support the law on the execution of Palestinians held in Israeli jails, a law introduced by the Yisrael Beiteinu bloc headed by the Israeli Minister of Defense, Avigdor Lieberman.
PNN notes, in its report, that the adoption of the law involves a serious risk that adds thousands of question marks before the international community with its various institutions that try to show their interest in human rights.
The law, ratified by the Israeli parliament of the Knesset, in its preliminary reading, leaves many questions about the possibility of its passing and the extent of its impact on the families of Palestinian detainees.
4 nov 2018
Khalil Nimri files claim for NIS 80,000 for reimbursement of defense expenses and compensation for his unjust detention one year after being acquitted of planning a terror attack at a hotel in Eilat.
Khalil Nimri, a resident of east Jerusalem who was acquitted in 2017 of planning to plant a bomb in a hotel in Eilat, is suing for NIS 80,000 in damages over his unjust arrest and to cover his defense expenses.
"The court's ruling speaks for itself," according to Nimri's request for compensation, which was submitted to the Be'er Sheva District Court judges who acquitted him.
Nimri, now 24, was arrested in 2015 after he was identified by the hotel's receptionist as the person who came to tour the hotel and asked suspicious questions about the rooms.
He was taken in for interrogation by the Shin Bet, during which he confessed to have planned to carry out an attack at the hotel.
But a short time later, the same receptionist spotted the person who actually took the tour of the hotel—Ashraf Salameh, 25. The receptionist called the police and admitted his mistake, and Ashraf was taken in for questioning as well.
Instead of admitting the mistake and releasing Nimri, the Shin Bet formulated a theory according to which the two—both residents of east Jerusalem who were working in Eilat at the time—planned to carry out the attack together.
In their reasoning, which was released some time after the acquittal, judges Ariel Vago, Aylon Infeld and Ariel Hazak noted the defendant was arrested under the Shin Bet's mistaken belief that he was behind the plot to bomb the hotel and may have been falsely jailed.
"The Shin Bet's investigation methods are unknown to us," the judges wrote. "It can be assumed that when given appropriate intelligence, the Shin Bet knows how to carry out an investigation to thwart the threat in the most effective manner. However, in this case, at least based on the evidence presented before us, there is concrete concern that the defendant (Nimri) was arrested and spent two years in detainment while innocent of any crime."
In his claim, Nimri demands to be reimbursed for his defense expenses and to be compensated for his unjust detention, in accordance with Article 80 of the criminal law.
Nimri's lawyers, Ester Bar-Zion and Victor Uzan, filed the suit, in which it was claimed that Nimri's good name, as well as his livelihood, have been damaged as a result.
"There is no dispute that his confession was a false one … A reasonable prosecutor is supposed to act as a public emissary and have a duty to examine the evidence, to locate and correct investigation failures and to ensure that the suspect's rights are not violated—which did not happen in our case," Bar-Zion said.
In response to the suit, the State Attorney's Office said there was sufficient evidence to indict Nimri.
"In the evidence that was available to the prosecution at the time the indictment was filed, there was sufficient evidence for any prosecutor to do so.
"The defendant’s lies caused an extraordinary extension of the trial, and therefore there is no justified reason to require the state to provide compensation under these circumstances," the prosecution’s statement read.
Khalil Nimri, a resident of east Jerusalem who was acquitted in 2017 of planning to plant a bomb in a hotel in Eilat, is suing for NIS 80,000 in damages over his unjust arrest and to cover his defense expenses.
"The court's ruling speaks for itself," according to Nimri's request for compensation, which was submitted to the Be'er Sheva District Court judges who acquitted him.
Nimri, now 24, was arrested in 2015 after he was identified by the hotel's receptionist as the person who came to tour the hotel and asked suspicious questions about the rooms.
He was taken in for interrogation by the Shin Bet, during which he confessed to have planned to carry out an attack at the hotel.
But a short time later, the same receptionist spotted the person who actually took the tour of the hotel—Ashraf Salameh, 25. The receptionist called the police and admitted his mistake, and Ashraf was taken in for questioning as well.
Instead of admitting the mistake and releasing Nimri, the Shin Bet formulated a theory according to which the two—both residents of east Jerusalem who were working in Eilat at the time—planned to carry out the attack together.
In their reasoning, which was released some time after the acquittal, judges Ariel Vago, Aylon Infeld and Ariel Hazak noted the defendant was arrested under the Shin Bet's mistaken belief that he was behind the plot to bomb the hotel and may have been falsely jailed.
"The Shin Bet's investigation methods are unknown to us," the judges wrote. "It can be assumed that when given appropriate intelligence, the Shin Bet knows how to carry out an investigation to thwart the threat in the most effective manner. However, in this case, at least based on the evidence presented before us, there is concrete concern that the defendant (Nimri) was arrested and spent two years in detainment while innocent of any crime."
In his claim, Nimri demands to be reimbursed for his defense expenses and to be compensated for his unjust detention, in accordance with Article 80 of the criminal law.
Nimri's lawyers, Ester Bar-Zion and Victor Uzan, filed the suit, in which it was claimed that Nimri's good name, as well as his livelihood, have been damaged as a result.
"There is no dispute that his confession was a false one … A reasonable prosecutor is supposed to act as a public emissary and have a duty to examine the evidence, to locate and correct investigation failures and to ensure that the suspect's rights are not violated—which did not happen in our case," Bar-Zion said.
In response to the suit, the State Attorney's Office said there was sufficient evidence to indict Nimri.
"In the evidence that was available to the prosecution at the time the indictment was filed, there was sufficient evidence for any prosecutor to do so.
"The defendant’s lies caused an extraordinary extension of the trial, and therefore there is no justified reason to require the state to provide compensation under these circumstances," the prosecution’s statement read.
1 nov 2018
Abdul Rahman Bani Fadhl 28
Mandelblit determines a terrorist who suffers from mental impairment 'would not have the ability to rationally consider the real possibility the home he lives in would be demolished, and consequently decide against carrying out the terror act we wish to deter him from committing.'
Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit has determined Israel must not demolish the house of a terrorist who is found not responsible for his actions due to mental impairment.
In a letter to Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Mandelblit wrote that in cases of terrorists suffering from mental disorders, the demolition of their homes would not achieve the desired goal of deterrence.
"That person would not have the ability to rationally consider the real possibility the home he lives in would be demolished, and consequently decide against carrying out the terror act we wish to deter him from committing," the attorney general wrote.
Mandelblit also put other restrictions on the demolition of terrorists' home, basing the decision on the severity of the results of his actions. The attorney general made a distinction between a victim who was wounded and one who was killed.
He stressed that according to the Supreme Court's ruling, in case of very severe injury "the IDF's operations will be considered proportional only if the army seals the part of the house in which the attacker lived and not destroys the entire structure."
The attorney general's letter was in response to Lieberman's protest last month against the IDF's decision not to demolish the home of the terrorist who murdered Adiel Coleman at Jerusalem's Old City in March. The decision not to demolish the house was made after the family proved the terrorist was suffering from a mental illness.
Mandelblit determines a terrorist who suffers from mental impairment 'would not have the ability to rationally consider the real possibility the home he lives in would be demolished, and consequently decide against carrying out the terror act we wish to deter him from committing.'
Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit has determined Israel must not demolish the house of a terrorist who is found not responsible for his actions due to mental impairment.
In a letter to Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Mandelblit wrote that in cases of terrorists suffering from mental disorders, the demolition of their homes would not achieve the desired goal of deterrence.
"That person would not have the ability to rationally consider the real possibility the home he lives in would be demolished, and consequently decide against carrying out the terror act we wish to deter him from committing," the attorney general wrote.
Mandelblit also put other restrictions on the demolition of terrorists' home, basing the decision on the severity of the results of his actions. The attorney general made a distinction between a victim who was wounded and one who was killed.
He stressed that according to the Supreme Court's ruling, in case of very severe injury "the IDF's operations will be considered proportional only if the army seals the part of the house in which the attacker lived and not destroys the entire structure."
The attorney general's letter was in response to Lieberman's protest last month against the IDF's decision not to demolish the home of the terrorist who murdered Adiel Coleman at Jerusalem's Old City in March. The decision not to demolish the house was made after the family proved the terrorist was suffering from a mental illness.
Adiel Coleman
"With your authorization, it was decided not to demolish the terrorist's house, based on medical documents that indicate the terrorist's mental history as well as the doubt over his mental state when committing the murder—a doubt that has never been cleared due to the death of the terrorist in the incident," Lieberman wrote to the attorney general.
"While the family of the terrorist claims he was mentally unfit, others who know him are cheering for him and glorifying his name as a shahid (martyr) in the media and on social media," the defense minister added.
"I fear potential terrorists hear these voices and see that the terrorist's house was not demolished based on medical history that will never be proven, and this will significantly undermine deterrence," he concluded.
Lieberman sent copies of his letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot and National Security Advisor Meir Ben-Shabat.
According to the IDF, from 2015 to 2017, 35 terrorists' homes were demolished and five others were sealed off. This year, there have been four demolitions and one house sealed off so far, with three additional house demolitions planned.
The government has determined that the demolition of a terrorist's house would be done only if he is a Palestinian who is not an Israeli citizen and claimed the life of an Israeli citizen. If the Israeli was critically wounded, the terrorist's house will not be demolished.
"With your authorization, it was decided not to demolish the terrorist's house, based on medical documents that indicate the terrorist's mental history as well as the doubt over his mental state when committing the murder—a doubt that has never been cleared due to the death of the terrorist in the incident," Lieberman wrote to the attorney general.
"While the family of the terrorist claims he was mentally unfit, others who know him are cheering for him and glorifying his name as a shahid (martyr) in the media and on social media," the defense minister added.
"I fear potential terrorists hear these voices and see that the terrorist's house was not demolished based on medical history that will never be proven, and this will significantly undermine deterrence," he concluded.
Lieberman sent copies of his letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot and National Security Advisor Meir Ben-Shabat.
According to the IDF, from 2015 to 2017, 35 terrorists' homes were demolished and five others were sealed off. This year, there have been four demolitions and one house sealed off so far, with three additional house demolitions planned.
The government has determined that the demolition of a terrorist's house would be done only if he is a Palestinian who is not an Israeli citizen and claimed the life of an Israeli citizen. If the Israeli was critically wounded, the terrorist's house will not be demolished.
