11 aug 2015
Israel police questioned and freed, on Tuesday, a Jewish extremist leader who condoned torching churches amid an uproar over recent attacks carried out by Israeli settlers, including the deadly firebombing of a Palestinian home.
Benzi Gopstein, who heads far-right group Lehava, has not been linked to any recent attacks, but his comments regarding churches came at a time of heightened sensitivity over Jewish extremism and drew outrage from Roman Catholic officials.
Israeli police spokesperson Luba Samri said Gopstein had been called in for questioning "about his comments regarding the burning of churches."
He was later allowed to go free, she added.
During a debate with religious students last week, Gopstein defended the idea of burning churches, reportedly invoking a medieval Jewish commandment to destroy places of idol-worship, according to a widely broadcast recording of the event.
A formal complaint to Israeli Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein was later filed by the body in charge of Catholic properties in the Holy Land.
In a letter seen by AFP Monday, the Custodian of the Holy Land called for Gopstein to be prosecuted and for Lehava to be outlawed.
"To our utter dismay, recent years have witnessed an alarming and frightening increase in violent attacks against Christians, Christianity and Christian institutions in Israel," the letter said, denouncing an "atmosphere of de facto impunity," the letter read.
Gopstein's lawyer Itamar Ben Gvir, speaking on public radio, said "our client has been summoned to interrogation in the wake of pressure from the Vatican."
"I ask myself what the next step will be. Will the pope decide to file charges?"
Gopstein, who lives in the flashpoint occupied West Bank city of Hebron, has previously faced police questioning. He was one of 10 Lehava members detained last year over an arson attack on a mixed Jewish and Palestinian school in Jerusalem.
Lehava claims to fight for Jewish identity, in particular by opposing marriages between Jews and non-Jews. Gopstein's summons Tuesday followed attacks, attributed to Jewish extremists, on Palestinians and Christian holy sites in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.
A Palestinian 18-month-old Ali Dawabsha was burned alive and his father was fatally injured when alleged Jewish extremists firebombed their home at the end of last month.
Hours earlier, an ultra-Orthodox Jew stabbed six people at a Gay Pride march in Jerusalem, mortally wounding a 16-year-old girl.
On June 18, an arson attack occurred at a shrine on the shores of the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel where Jesus is believed to have performed the miracle of loaves and fishes.
While Israeli prosecutors have charged three Israeli extremists in the Sea of Galilea arson attack, officials reported Monday that all suspects detained in a probe into the deadly attack on the Dawabsha home had been released.
The suspects had been detained during raids in Jewish outposts nearby the family's village.
While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu labelled the arson attack as "terrorism" and pledged to use all legal means to track down the perpetrators, critics argue the legal system is not capable of properly prosecuting Israeli settlers.
Palestinian leadership and rights groups say that Israeli government policies -- including support for settlement expansion and frequent impunity for settlers -- allow such attacks to take place.
Head of far-right group under police investigation
Bentzi Gopstein, chairman of radical anti-assimilation group Lehava, drew law enforcement's attention after recent recording in which he said church arson was legitimate under Jewish law.
Police have been investigating the chairman of the far-right Lehava group, Bentzi Gopstein, for possible incitement, Judea and Samaria District Police said Tuesday.
According to the police department's spokesman, Gopstein was summoned for questioning at the division for nationalistic crimes, where he was asked about his statements about church arsons.
Gopstein's lawyer said the police had submitted to the will of the Vatican, which on Monday called on Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein to indict Gopstein.
Just last week, Gopstein was recorded at a haredi panel saying that burning churches was legitimate under Jewish law.
"Do you support burning churches in Israel, yes or no?" by Benny Rabinowitz, a writer for the ultra-Orthodox daily newspaper Yated Ne'eman, Gopstein replied that Maimonedes had ruled that churches should be burned. "Are you for Maimonides or against him?" he asked, rhetorically.
The debate occurred about a month after an arson attack caused extensive damage to the interior and exterior of the Church of Loaves and Fish on the shores of the Sea of Galilee in June. Hebrew graffiti was found at the scene that denounced the worship of idols. Gopstein's statements at the debate shocked many attendees. Rabbi Moshe Klein told Gopstein, "You are on camera and being recorded. If this lands in the hands of the police, you will be arrested." Gopstein answered, "That’s the last thing that worries me. I'm willing to sit in prison for 50 years the truth."
Immediately after the meeting, Rabinowitz exposed Gopstein's remarks on Twitter, igniting a social media frenzy.
Gopstein denied the report, saying he was merely quoting Maimonides as a part of a theoretical debate over Jewish law.
Benzi Gopstein, who heads far-right group Lehava, has not been linked to any recent attacks, but his comments regarding churches came at a time of heightened sensitivity over Jewish extremism and drew outrage from Roman Catholic officials.
Israeli police spokesperson Luba Samri said Gopstein had been called in for questioning "about his comments regarding the burning of churches."
He was later allowed to go free, she added.
During a debate with religious students last week, Gopstein defended the idea of burning churches, reportedly invoking a medieval Jewish commandment to destroy places of idol-worship, according to a widely broadcast recording of the event.
A formal complaint to Israeli Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein was later filed by the body in charge of Catholic properties in the Holy Land.
In a letter seen by AFP Monday, the Custodian of the Holy Land called for Gopstein to be prosecuted and for Lehava to be outlawed.
"To our utter dismay, recent years have witnessed an alarming and frightening increase in violent attacks against Christians, Christianity and Christian institutions in Israel," the letter said, denouncing an "atmosphere of de facto impunity," the letter read.
Gopstein's lawyer Itamar Ben Gvir, speaking on public radio, said "our client has been summoned to interrogation in the wake of pressure from the Vatican."
"I ask myself what the next step will be. Will the pope decide to file charges?"
Gopstein, who lives in the flashpoint occupied West Bank city of Hebron, has previously faced police questioning. He was one of 10 Lehava members detained last year over an arson attack on a mixed Jewish and Palestinian school in Jerusalem.
Lehava claims to fight for Jewish identity, in particular by opposing marriages between Jews and non-Jews. Gopstein's summons Tuesday followed attacks, attributed to Jewish extremists, on Palestinians and Christian holy sites in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.
A Palestinian 18-month-old Ali Dawabsha was burned alive and his father was fatally injured when alleged Jewish extremists firebombed their home at the end of last month.
Hours earlier, an ultra-Orthodox Jew stabbed six people at a Gay Pride march in Jerusalem, mortally wounding a 16-year-old girl.
On June 18, an arson attack occurred at a shrine on the shores of the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel where Jesus is believed to have performed the miracle of loaves and fishes.
While Israeli prosecutors have charged three Israeli extremists in the Sea of Galilea arson attack, officials reported Monday that all suspects detained in a probe into the deadly attack on the Dawabsha home had been released.
The suspects had been detained during raids in Jewish outposts nearby the family's village.
While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu labelled the arson attack as "terrorism" and pledged to use all legal means to track down the perpetrators, critics argue the legal system is not capable of properly prosecuting Israeli settlers.
Palestinian leadership and rights groups say that Israeli government policies -- including support for settlement expansion and frequent impunity for settlers -- allow such attacks to take place.
Head of far-right group under police investigation
Bentzi Gopstein, chairman of radical anti-assimilation group Lehava, drew law enforcement's attention after recent recording in which he said church arson was legitimate under Jewish law.
Police have been investigating the chairman of the far-right Lehava group, Bentzi Gopstein, for possible incitement, Judea and Samaria District Police said Tuesday.
According to the police department's spokesman, Gopstein was summoned for questioning at the division for nationalistic crimes, where he was asked about his statements about church arsons.
Gopstein's lawyer said the police had submitted to the will of the Vatican, which on Monday called on Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein to indict Gopstein.
Just last week, Gopstein was recorded at a haredi panel saying that burning churches was legitimate under Jewish law.
"Do you support burning churches in Israel, yes or no?" by Benny Rabinowitz, a writer for the ultra-Orthodox daily newspaper Yated Ne'eman, Gopstein replied that Maimonedes had ruled that churches should be burned. "Are you for Maimonides or against him?" he asked, rhetorically.
The debate occurred about a month after an arson attack caused extensive damage to the interior and exterior of the Church of Loaves and Fish on the shores of the Sea of Galilee in June. Hebrew graffiti was found at the scene that denounced the worship of idols. Gopstein's statements at the debate shocked many attendees. Rabbi Moshe Klein told Gopstein, "You are on camera and being recorded. If this lands in the hands of the police, you will be arrested." Gopstein answered, "That’s the last thing that worries me. I'm willing to sit in prison for 50 years the truth."
Immediately after the meeting, Rabinowitz exposed Gopstein's remarks on Twitter, igniting a social media frenzy.
Gopstein denied the report, saying he was merely quoting Maimonides as a part of a theoretical debate over Jewish law.
The Assembly of Palestinian doctors in Europe (PalMed) said that the Israeli decision to force-feed the hunger-striking Palestinian prisoners is a way to legislate killing Palestinian prisoners by Israeli doctors.
PalMed charged that the force-feeding law flagrantly violates the World Medical Association’s Declaration of Malta 1991 which states: “forcible feeding is never ethically acceptable".
The Assembly said in a statement on Monday that feeding induced by threats or coercion is inhumane and that it violates the 1975 World Medical Association Declaration of Tokyo which explicitly states that force-feeding is a crime and a form of torture and that doctors are not allowed to force-feed hunger strikers because that breaches the World Medical Association's rules.
The statement also pointed to the serious health complications of this cruel measure on the prisoners' health; as it is very painful and it may lead to death as what actually happened with three prisoners.
The Assembly called on international health institutions, human rights organizations, and the United Nations to immediately condemn the Israeli decision, pressure Israel to cancel it, improve the prisoners' detention conditions, and allow doctors' visits to check on the prisoners' health status especially the hunger strikers.
PalMed asked for an international boycott against all the Israeli doctors involved in torturing the Palestinian prisoners by implementing this internationally unacceptable decision which was approved by the Israeli Knesset on July 30.
PalMed charged that the force-feeding law flagrantly violates the World Medical Association’s Declaration of Malta 1991 which states: “forcible feeding is never ethically acceptable".
The Assembly said in a statement on Monday that feeding induced by threats or coercion is inhumane and that it violates the 1975 World Medical Association Declaration of Tokyo which explicitly states that force-feeding is a crime and a form of torture and that doctors are not allowed to force-feed hunger strikers because that breaches the World Medical Association's rules.
The statement also pointed to the serious health complications of this cruel measure on the prisoners' health; as it is very painful and it may lead to death as what actually happened with three prisoners.
The Assembly called on international health institutions, human rights organizations, and the United Nations to immediately condemn the Israeli decision, pressure Israel to cancel it, improve the prisoners' detention conditions, and allow doctors' visits to check on the prisoners' health status especially the hunger strikers.
PalMed asked for an international boycott against all the Israeli doctors involved in torturing the Palestinian prisoners by implementing this internationally unacceptable decision which was approved by the Israeli Knesset on July 30.
Court rejects most of petition filed by human rights organizations against third version of bill, but strikes down clause allowing detention exceeding 12 months; nearly 1,200 to be released within two weeks.
Nine Supreme Court justices on Tuesday rejected a petition filed by human rights groups regarding the legality of the third and most recent version of the so-called "Infiltration Prevention Law", with the exception of the clause ruling that illegal migrants and asylum seekers could be held for up to 20 months in the Holot facility.
The court said it unanimously rejected the petitioners' objection to the clause allowing new asylum seekers to be held in custody for up to three months. This was the third time in less than two years that the court altered elements of the law.
The controversial amendment included two clauses. The first sought to permit detaining new asylum seekers for up to three months in the Saharonim detention facility. The second was aimed at regulating operations at the Holot facility. The amendment included the decrease of the maximum detention time for new asylum seekers from a year to three months.
The clause saying that people could be held in Holot for up to 20 months was struck down for being "disproportional". The justices noted that after six months, in the absence of new legislation, no further laws on detaining asylum seekers can be passed.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Miriam Naor wrote that the law was constitutional, other than the clauses setting the maximum amount of time people can be held in a detention center. According to the ruling, this period will remain at 12 months for the following six months. Those who have currently been detained for 12 months or more will be immediately released. About 1,200 people who have been detained at Holot for 12 months or longer will be released within 15 days.
"It wasn't a detention center like Holot as it was created that I imagined when I wrote these things," wrote Justice Naor. "As a citizen, I would have been happy to see my country show more compassion, even towards those suspected of infiltrating Israel to make money. That said, just as we do not examine the wisdom of the law, we do not put ourselves in the role of the legislator. Our role is to examine the constitutionality of the law."
A statement by the petitioning organizations said following the ruling: "The court showed for the third time that the legislature that the legislature did not devote in-depth thought and debate before ordering the deprivation of liberty from thousands of people."
The Infiltration Prevention Act has been part of a lengthy legal saga. In September 2013, the Supreme Court overturned an amendment that would allow asylum seekers who crossed illegally at the Egyptian border to be detained for three years. About a year later, it overturned another amendment, which would have allowed new asylum seekers arriving from the Egyptian border to be detained for a year.
Following these two decisions, the Knesset passed another amendment in November 2014, which would allow detention for 20 months if the individuals were already in Israel, and three months for newcomers.
Nine Supreme Court justices on Tuesday rejected a petition filed by human rights groups regarding the legality of the third and most recent version of the so-called "Infiltration Prevention Law", with the exception of the clause ruling that illegal migrants and asylum seekers could be held for up to 20 months in the Holot facility.
The court said it unanimously rejected the petitioners' objection to the clause allowing new asylum seekers to be held in custody for up to three months. This was the third time in less than two years that the court altered elements of the law.
The controversial amendment included two clauses. The first sought to permit detaining new asylum seekers for up to three months in the Saharonim detention facility. The second was aimed at regulating operations at the Holot facility. The amendment included the decrease of the maximum detention time for new asylum seekers from a year to three months.
The clause saying that people could be held in Holot for up to 20 months was struck down for being "disproportional". The justices noted that after six months, in the absence of new legislation, no further laws on detaining asylum seekers can be passed.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Miriam Naor wrote that the law was constitutional, other than the clauses setting the maximum amount of time people can be held in a detention center. According to the ruling, this period will remain at 12 months for the following six months. Those who have currently been detained for 12 months or more will be immediately released. About 1,200 people who have been detained at Holot for 12 months or longer will be released within 15 days.
"It wasn't a detention center like Holot as it was created that I imagined when I wrote these things," wrote Justice Naor. "As a citizen, I would have been happy to see my country show more compassion, even towards those suspected of infiltrating Israel to make money. That said, just as we do not examine the wisdom of the law, we do not put ourselves in the role of the legislator. Our role is to examine the constitutionality of the law."
A statement by the petitioning organizations said following the ruling: "The court showed for the third time that the legislature that the legislature did not devote in-depth thought and debate before ordering the deprivation of liberty from thousands of people."
The Infiltration Prevention Act has been part of a lengthy legal saga. In September 2013, the Supreme Court overturned an amendment that would allow asylum seekers who crossed illegally at the Egyptian border to be detained for three years. About a year later, it overturned another amendment, which would have allowed new asylum seekers arriving from the Egyptian border to be detained for a year.
Following these two decisions, the Knesset passed another amendment in November 2014, which would allow detention for 20 months if the individuals were already in Israel, and three months for newcomers.
10 aug 2015
More than two and a half years ago, soldiers killed sixteen-year-old Samir ‘Awad. A year and two months later, his father petitioned the High Court of Justice (HCJ) together with B'Tselem, demanding the Military Advocate General (MAG) reach a decision whether to take action against the soldiers involved or close the case. The State Attorney’s Office continues the foot-dragging in this case, repeatedly ignoring interim court decisions.
In its last decision, the HCJ ordered [PDF] the state to make a final decision on the case by 3 August 2015. Instead, on the very day of the ordered deadline, the State Attorney’s Office told the HCJ it needed more time to reach a final decision and requested to make an additional submission to the court by 10 September 2015, in which it would provide a progress report. Justice Hanan Melcer granted the motion by the State Attorney’s Office and ordered to schedule a hearing.
This motion by the State Attorney’s Office is another instance of the repeated delays by authorities in handling the Samir ‘Awad investigation, as seen in other cases as well. The delays, which in this case have continued even into the proceedings held in the HCJ petition, show that even the mechanisms ostensibly responsible for monitoring the work of the MAG Corps are party to the policy of lack of enforcement in terms of perpetrators of harm to Palestinians.
Below is the chain of events in the case to date:
On 15 January 2013, 16-year-old Palestinian Samir ‘Awad was killed by live ammunition Israeli soldiers fired at him near the Separation Barrier near the village of Budrus, the West Bank. A B’Tselem inquiry revealed that although ‘the soldiers were not in danger at any time during the incident, they shot ‘Awad three times. According to media reports, the initial investigation by the Israeli military found that ‘Awad was shot in contravention of open-fire regulations. The military was also reported to have video footage of the incident captured on the Separation Barrier surveillance cameras.
On 27 March 2014, Ahmad ‘Awad, Samir’s father, petitioned the HCJ together with B'Tselem, demanding that the MAG, Maj. Gen. Danny Efroni, make the decision of whether to indict the soldiers who killed his son, or close the case.
On 1 December 2014, the HCJ ordered the MAG Corps and the State Attorney’s Office to make a decision with regard to the investigation of Samir ‘Awad’s death by 1 March 2015. The court added the Attorney General as a respondent in the petition since it was found that the soldiers suspected in the case had been discharged from the military and were, therefore, no longer subject to the Military Justice Law.
After further deferrals, on 14 April 2015, the State Attorney’s Office finally informed the HCJ that, “subject to a hearing and the conclusion of privilege proceedings”, it had decided to file an indictment on the charge of “a reckless and negligent act using a firearm”. On 10 June 2015, the State Attorney’s Office asked the HCJ to dismiss the petition because privilege proceedings had ended and the hearings for the two suspects had begun. The petitioners objected, stating that should the petition be dismissed, the authorities might continue the foot-dragging and delays.
On 22 July 2015, Justice Hanan Melcer ruled [PDF] that the State Attorney’s Office must inform the court by 3 August 2015 of the results of the hearings held for the two suspects and the resultant decision.
On 3 August 2015, the State Attorney’s Office informed [PDF] the HCJ that hearings were held for the two suspects on 21 and 23 June 2015 and that following arguments presented by their counsel, the State Attorney’s Office would have to make some further inquiries and even conduct supplementary investigations. The State Attorney’s Office also said that given the “complexity and sensitivity of the investigation”, the case was transferred from the Central District Attorney’s Office to the office of the Deputy State Attorney (Special Functions) and is expected to be transferred to the State Attorney himself for a final decision. According to the state’s submission, further inquiries would include a probe into whether or not additional suspects should be investigated.
In its last decision, the HCJ ordered [PDF] the state to make a final decision on the case by 3 August 2015. Instead, on the very day of the ordered deadline, the State Attorney’s Office told the HCJ it needed more time to reach a final decision and requested to make an additional submission to the court by 10 September 2015, in which it would provide a progress report. Justice Hanan Melcer granted the motion by the State Attorney’s Office and ordered to schedule a hearing.
This motion by the State Attorney’s Office is another instance of the repeated delays by authorities in handling the Samir ‘Awad investigation, as seen in other cases as well. The delays, which in this case have continued even into the proceedings held in the HCJ petition, show that even the mechanisms ostensibly responsible for monitoring the work of the MAG Corps are party to the policy of lack of enforcement in terms of perpetrators of harm to Palestinians.
Below is the chain of events in the case to date:
On 15 January 2013, 16-year-old Palestinian Samir ‘Awad was killed by live ammunition Israeli soldiers fired at him near the Separation Barrier near the village of Budrus, the West Bank. A B’Tselem inquiry revealed that although ‘the soldiers were not in danger at any time during the incident, they shot ‘Awad three times. According to media reports, the initial investigation by the Israeli military found that ‘Awad was shot in contravention of open-fire regulations. The military was also reported to have video footage of the incident captured on the Separation Barrier surveillance cameras.
On 27 March 2014, Ahmad ‘Awad, Samir’s father, petitioned the HCJ together with B'Tselem, demanding that the MAG, Maj. Gen. Danny Efroni, make the decision of whether to indict the soldiers who killed his son, or close the case.
On 1 December 2014, the HCJ ordered the MAG Corps and the State Attorney’s Office to make a decision with regard to the investigation of Samir ‘Awad’s death by 1 March 2015. The court added the Attorney General as a respondent in the petition since it was found that the soldiers suspected in the case had been discharged from the military and were, therefore, no longer subject to the Military Justice Law.
After further deferrals, on 14 April 2015, the State Attorney’s Office finally informed the HCJ that, “subject to a hearing and the conclusion of privilege proceedings”, it had decided to file an indictment on the charge of “a reckless and negligent act using a firearm”. On 10 June 2015, the State Attorney’s Office asked the HCJ to dismiss the petition because privilege proceedings had ended and the hearings for the two suspects had begun. The petitioners objected, stating that should the petition be dismissed, the authorities might continue the foot-dragging and delays.
On 22 July 2015, Justice Hanan Melcer ruled [PDF] that the State Attorney’s Office must inform the court by 3 August 2015 of the results of the hearings held for the two suspects and the resultant decision.
On 3 August 2015, the State Attorney’s Office informed [PDF] the HCJ that hearings were held for the two suspects on 21 and 23 June 2015 and that following arguments presented by their counsel, the State Attorney’s Office would have to make some further inquiries and even conduct supplementary investigations. The State Attorney’s Office also said that given the “complexity and sensitivity of the investigation”, the case was transferred from the Central District Attorney’s Office to the office of the Deputy State Attorney (Special Functions) and is expected to be transferred to the State Attorney himself for a final decision. According to the state’s submission, further inquiries would include a probe into whether or not additional suspects should be investigated.
Israel has released all suspects detained in raids as part of a probe into the firebombing of a Palestinian home which killed an 18-month-old child and his father, Israeli authorities said Monday.
They did not provide the number of those detained in the raids, early Sunday, in Jewish settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank, near the Palestinian village of Douma, where the July 31 firebombing occurred.
Outposts in the Israeli-occupied West Bank are notorious for housing young Jewish hardliners, referred to as 'hilltop youth'.
"All those arrested yesterday for interrogation have been released," a spokeswoman for the Shin Bet domestic security agency told AFP, without providing further details.
The raids came as Israel seeks to crack down on Jewish extremists following the firebombing that also critically wounded the toddler's mother and four-year-old brother.
The attack has led to pressure on the government to act against Jewish extremists accused of being behind a series of hate crimes and nationalist attacks, including a stabbing attack at a Gay Pride parade in West Jerusalem, last month, which killed a 16-year-old girl and wounded five people.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has labelled the firebombing "terrorism" and pledged to use all legal means to track down the perpetrators.
However, many Palestinians have pointed out that Israeli government policies -- including support for settlement expansion and frequent impunity for settlers -- allowed for the firebombing to take place.
In addition to Sunday's raids, three alleged Jewish extremists have been placed in a controversial form of detention without trial usually used for Palestinians.
Over 85 percent of investigations into settler violence are closed without indictments, Israeli rights group Yesh Din says.
The 100 or so Jewish outposts in the occupied West Bank are not officially recognized by the Israeli government but receive support and assistance from government ministries.
Since occupying the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967, Israel has built over 125 Jewish-only settlements across the territories with a settler population of over 500,000, in contravention of international law.
They did not provide the number of those detained in the raids, early Sunday, in Jewish settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank, near the Palestinian village of Douma, where the July 31 firebombing occurred.
Outposts in the Israeli-occupied West Bank are notorious for housing young Jewish hardliners, referred to as 'hilltop youth'.
"All those arrested yesterday for interrogation have been released," a spokeswoman for the Shin Bet domestic security agency told AFP, without providing further details.
The raids came as Israel seeks to crack down on Jewish extremists following the firebombing that also critically wounded the toddler's mother and four-year-old brother.
The attack has led to pressure on the government to act against Jewish extremists accused of being behind a series of hate crimes and nationalist attacks, including a stabbing attack at a Gay Pride parade in West Jerusalem, last month, which killed a 16-year-old girl and wounded five people.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has labelled the firebombing "terrorism" and pledged to use all legal means to track down the perpetrators.
However, many Palestinians have pointed out that Israeli government policies -- including support for settlement expansion and frequent impunity for settlers -- allowed for the firebombing to take place.
In addition to Sunday's raids, three alleged Jewish extremists have been placed in a controversial form of detention without trial usually used for Palestinians.
Over 85 percent of investigations into settler violence are closed without indictments, Israeli rights group Yesh Din says.
The 100 or so Jewish outposts in the occupied West Bank are not officially recognized by the Israeli government but receive support and assistance from government ministries.
Since occupying the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967, Israel has built over 125 Jewish-only settlements across the territories with a settler population of over 500,000, in contravention of international law.
The Custody of the Holy Land asks AG to indict radical right-winger for saying church burning complies with Jewish law.
The Custody of the Holy Land, the Vatican's representative body in Israel, called on Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein to indict high-profile Jewish supremacist Bentzi Gopstein on charges of incitement to racism.
In a letter to Weinstein, the Custody's legal adviser cited comments Gopstein made at a panel discussion last week, where he said that burning churches complies with Jewish law.
"I implore you to employ all the legal measures at your disposal," Adv. Farid Jubran wrote on behalf of the Vatican. "Mr Gopstein's incitement puts churches and Christian communities in a clear and present danger."
During a panel discussion at Jerusalem's Netivot Hochma on Wednesday, Gopstein said that "burning idolatry" is a legitimate Jewish practice that was stipulated by Maimonides, the Medieval Jewish sage.
Gopstein is the chairman of Lehava, an organization that seeks to prevent the "assimilation" of Jewish Israelis.
The Custody of the Holy Land, the Vatican's representative body in Israel, called on Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein to indict high-profile Jewish supremacist Bentzi Gopstein on charges of incitement to racism.
In a letter to Weinstein, the Custody's legal adviser cited comments Gopstein made at a panel discussion last week, where he said that burning churches complies with Jewish law.
"I implore you to employ all the legal measures at your disposal," Adv. Farid Jubran wrote on behalf of the Vatican. "Mr Gopstein's incitement puts churches and Christian communities in a clear and present danger."
During a panel discussion at Jerusalem's Netivot Hochma on Wednesday, Gopstein said that "burning idolatry" is a legitimate Jewish practice that was stipulated by Maimonides, the Medieval Jewish sage.
Gopstein is the chairman of Lehava, an organization that seeks to prevent the "assimilation" of Jewish Israelis.
Former Shin Bet official outlines problems with relying on imprisonment without trial as an ongoing solution to Jewish extremism in the West Bank.
Former Shin Bet official Lior Akerman warned Sunday that the recent wave of administrative detentions dealt to Jewish activists suspected of terrorism may herald a significant shift in government policy, but won't solve the legal problem facing authorities in dealing with extremist Jewish groups in the West Bank.
Over the course of the last several days, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon has approved administrative detention (jail without trial) for three radical right-wingers: Meir Ettinger, the grandson of the late Jewish supremacist Rabbi Meir Kahane and a high-value target for the Shin Bet, Evyatar Slonim and Mordechai Meyer.
Akerman, a former brigadier-general who served as a division head in the Shin Bet, says that while administrative detention is an efficient policy that helps prevent attacks, it can't be used as tool en masse. "It's a very efficient tool on the Palestinian front," he said.
"Factually, there are few administrative detentions and if you take a small group, dominant and central, and put it behind bars, that dramatically decreases their activities." But according to Akerman, administrative detention is not realistic as a permanent solution. Instead, he said the solution may be a change in legislation to speed up the legal process to bring strong cases against "hilltop youth," the radical fringes of the settler movement.
"The young people who run on the hills and were already involved in attacks against Arabs, torching cars and uprooting orchards and no one called their actions terror, receive motivation to continue," said Akerman. "We must define what it means to be involved in terrorism and not".
"We should have started enforcing the law against these guys - a group of fundamentalist ideological criminals that see no justice," continued Akerman. "They don't recognize the law of the land. If we don't give them a hit on the head it will continue to grow." Akerman explained that legally, the imprisonment of Jews and Arabs are two different realities.
"Every Arab who agrees to join Hamas and goes to a meeting in a mosque can be arrested and investigated for organizing terror - which doesn't exist among the Jewish population. Therefore, these guys are organizing, acting, going out, throwing fire bombs, beating Arabs, publishing incitement on internet blogs in ways you wouldn't believe - and that's not considered terror or a security risk in legal terms."
But the problems don't end there, explained Akerman. "This makes it really difficult for the Shin Bet to arrest them and even if they are arrested, it makes it hard to extend their prison time and makes it hard for the prosecution to present evidence to bring them to trial." Akerman suggested that the act of networking with Jewish extremists be placed under a law against "unlawful association," similar to that in place against Arab terror organizations.
"This demands a very wide process, not by the Shin Bet who knows how to do what it knows to do, but by the attorney general, the prosecutors, the prime minister and the justice minister."
Former Shin Bet official Lior Akerman warned Sunday that the recent wave of administrative detentions dealt to Jewish activists suspected of terrorism may herald a significant shift in government policy, but won't solve the legal problem facing authorities in dealing with extremist Jewish groups in the West Bank.
Over the course of the last several days, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon has approved administrative detention (jail without trial) for three radical right-wingers: Meir Ettinger, the grandson of the late Jewish supremacist Rabbi Meir Kahane and a high-value target for the Shin Bet, Evyatar Slonim and Mordechai Meyer.
Akerman, a former brigadier-general who served as a division head in the Shin Bet, says that while administrative detention is an efficient policy that helps prevent attacks, it can't be used as tool en masse. "It's a very efficient tool on the Palestinian front," he said.
"Factually, there are few administrative detentions and if you take a small group, dominant and central, and put it behind bars, that dramatically decreases their activities." But according to Akerman, administrative detention is not realistic as a permanent solution. Instead, he said the solution may be a change in legislation to speed up the legal process to bring strong cases against "hilltop youth," the radical fringes of the settler movement.
"The young people who run on the hills and were already involved in attacks against Arabs, torching cars and uprooting orchards and no one called their actions terror, receive motivation to continue," said Akerman. "We must define what it means to be involved in terrorism and not".
"We should have started enforcing the law against these guys - a group of fundamentalist ideological criminals that see no justice," continued Akerman. "They don't recognize the law of the land. If we don't give them a hit on the head it will continue to grow." Akerman explained that legally, the imprisonment of Jews and Arabs are two different realities.
"Every Arab who agrees to join Hamas and goes to a meeting in a mosque can be arrested and investigated for organizing terror - which doesn't exist among the Jewish population. Therefore, these guys are organizing, acting, going out, throwing fire bombs, beating Arabs, publishing incitement on internet blogs in ways you wouldn't believe - and that's not considered terror or a security risk in legal terms."
But the problems don't end there, explained Akerman. "This makes it really difficult for the Shin Bet to arrest them and even if they are arrested, it makes it hard to extend their prison time and makes it hard for the prosecution to present evidence to bring them to trial." Akerman suggested that the act of networking with Jewish extremists be placed under a law against "unlawful association," similar to that in place against Arab terror organizations.
"This demands a very wide process, not by the Shin Bet who knows how to do what it knows to do, but by the attorney general, the prosecutors, the prime minister and the justice minister."
9 aug 2015
A lawyer representing a right-wing Israeli Jewish organization, Sunday, issued evacuation notices for three Palestinian homes in the Batn al-Hawa area of Silwan, occupied East Jerusalem.
The lawyer, representing Ateret Cohanim, told the Sarhan family that the land, on which the three houses were built, allegedly belongs to Jewish settlers.
The Silwan-based Wadi Hilweh Information Center reported that the Sarhan family was given 30 days to respond to the claims in court.
Ateret Cohanim, an organization which tries to create a Jewish majority in occupied East Jerusalem at the expense of Palestinian communities, claims that the land on which the Sarhan family lives belonged to three Jewish men from Yemen who lived there before 1948.
The chief of a local committee representing the Batn al-Hawa area, Zuheir al-Rajabi, said the Sarhan family has been living in the property for more than 80 years. The land and the houses, he said, belong to Ali Sarhan, his son Muhammad and another family member, Muhammad Mahir Sarhan.
Each home measures 80 square meters (861 square feet).
Al-Rajabi highlighted that a few days earlier, another Palestinian family, Abu Nab, received an evacuation notice from the same organization “which has been working on displacing the residents of the area.”
Attempts to aquare meters (56000 square feet) in the central quarter of Batn al-Hawa, the Wadi Hilweh Center told Ma'an News Agency.
The land in question houses around 300 Palestinians (80 families) living in more than 30 buildings, according to the Wadi Hilweh Center.
The center added that it released a report published in May that highlighted Ateret Cohanim's claims that a Jewish community from Yemen have owned six pieces of land in Batn al-Hawa since 1881.
The report claimed that the Israeli High Court confirmed the Jewish settlers from Yemen were the owners of the land in Batn al-Hawa.
In a controversial move, last year, Ateret Cohanim secretly bought and renovated a building in the heart of occupied East Jerusalem near the Damascus and Flowers gate entrances of the Old City. The building was turned into the Ateret Cohanim Jerusalem Torah Learning Centre, where groups of students from pre-army academies around Israel are brought in on learning retreats.
Following the purchase,emails between Ateret Cohanim and its supporters were leaked to Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, detailing the organization's plans for the future.
In one of the emails, the group's executive director said the purchase was "the first acquisition of its kind, in the area, which is in the heart of the commercial Arab district of Jerusalem" and said the group's work was "being done quietly under the radar."
The lawyer, representing Ateret Cohanim, told the Sarhan family that the land, on which the three houses were built, allegedly belongs to Jewish settlers.
The Silwan-based Wadi Hilweh Information Center reported that the Sarhan family was given 30 days to respond to the claims in court.
Ateret Cohanim, an organization which tries to create a Jewish majority in occupied East Jerusalem at the expense of Palestinian communities, claims that the land on which the Sarhan family lives belonged to three Jewish men from Yemen who lived there before 1948.
The chief of a local committee representing the Batn al-Hawa area, Zuheir al-Rajabi, said the Sarhan family has been living in the property for more than 80 years. The land and the houses, he said, belong to Ali Sarhan, his son Muhammad and another family member, Muhammad Mahir Sarhan.
Each home measures 80 square meters (861 square feet).
Al-Rajabi highlighted that a few days earlier, another Palestinian family, Abu Nab, received an evacuation notice from the same organization “which has been working on displacing the residents of the area.”
Attempts to aquare meters (56000 square feet) in the central quarter of Batn al-Hawa, the Wadi Hilweh Center told Ma'an News Agency.
The land in question houses around 300 Palestinians (80 families) living in more than 30 buildings, according to the Wadi Hilweh Center.
The center added that it released a report published in May that highlighted Ateret Cohanim's claims that a Jewish community from Yemen have owned six pieces of land in Batn al-Hawa since 1881.
The report claimed that the Israeli High Court confirmed the Jewish settlers from Yemen were the owners of the land in Batn al-Hawa.
In a controversial move, last year, Ateret Cohanim secretly bought and renovated a building in the heart of occupied East Jerusalem near the Damascus and Flowers gate entrances of the Old City. The building was turned into the Ateret Cohanim Jerusalem Torah Learning Centre, where groups of students from pre-army academies around Israel are brought in on learning retreats.
Following the purchase,emails between Ateret Cohanim and its supporters were leaked to Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, detailing the organization's plans for the future.
In one of the emails, the group's executive director said the purchase was "the first acquisition of its kind, in the area, which is in the heart of the commercial Arab district of Jerusalem" and said the group's work was "being done quietly under the radar."
The United Nations has expressed deep concern over the Israeli law which allows the force-feeding of the hunger-striking Palestinian prisoners in the Israeli prisons.
UN agencies (UN Human Rights Office, World Health Organization (WHO), UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process) said in a joint statement: "This law is a cause for concern to those who work to protect the right to health of Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territory."
The statement also pointed to the Palestinian prisoners' "prolonged detention on administrative orders without charge," saying that hunger strikes are "a non-violent form of protest used by individuals who have exhausted other forms of protest to highlight the seriousness of their situations", and pointed out that "the right to peaceful protest is a fundamental human right".
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Juan E. Méndez, has called "feeding induced by threats, coercion, force or use of physical restraints of individuals, who have opted for the extreme recourse of a hunger strike to protest against their detention (is) tantamount to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, even if intended for their benefit."
The UN special rapporteur affirmed that according to Health in Prisons guide released by the European Regional Office of the World Health Organization "Forcible feeding of prisoners is never ethically acceptable, such a procedure can only be justified if a serious mental disorder affects the decision-making capacity of the patient."
The joint statement stressed the importance of improving the health conditions and human rights of the Palestinian prisoners in accordance with the international standards and urged the Israeli Occupation Authorities (IOA) to file charges against the administrative detainees or release them immediately.
UN agencies (UN Human Rights Office, World Health Organization (WHO), UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process) said in a joint statement: "This law is a cause for concern to those who work to protect the right to health of Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territory."
The statement also pointed to the Palestinian prisoners' "prolonged detention on administrative orders without charge," saying that hunger strikes are "a non-violent form of protest used by individuals who have exhausted other forms of protest to highlight the seriousness of their situations", and pointed out that "the right to peaceful protest is a fundamental human right".
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Juan E. Méndez, has called "feeding induced by threats, coercion, force or use of physical restraints of individuals, who have opted for the extreme recourse of a hunger strike to protest against their detention (is) tantamount to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, even if intended for their benefit."
The UN special rapporteur affirmed that according to Health in Prisons guide released by the European Regional Office of the World Health Organization "Forcible feeding of prisoners is never ethically acceptable, such a procedure can only be justified if a serious mental disorder affects the decision-making capacity of the patient."
The joint statement stressed the importance of improving the health conditions and human rights of the Palestinian prisoners in accordance with the international standards and urged the Israeli Occupation Authorities (IOA) to file charges against the administrative detainees or release them immediately.
Dozens Of Detainees Join Strike, Hundreds to Follow
After the Israeli Knesset passed an amendment on July 30 allowing the force-feeding of hunger-striking Palestinian political prisoners, the Medical Committee in Soroka Israeli Hospital has granted, on Saturday evening, the doctors in charge of Mohammad Allan’s case, to force-feed him should they determine he could lose his life.
The Maan News Agency said that the spokesperson of the Soroka Israeli Hospital in Beersheba (Be’er as-Sabe’) told their reporter that the committee, headed by a retired judge, has decided to grant a green light to the doctors to force-feed ‘Allan, who started his hunger strike 55 days ago, protesting his illegal Administrative Detention, without charges or trial.
The head of the Palestinian Detainees Committee ‘Issa Qaraqe’, Palestinian Prisoners' Society head Qaddoura Fares and the Palestinian Health Minister, Dr. Jawad ‘Awwad, held a press conference at the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah, on Saturday evening, and warned of the consequences of force-feeding ‘Allan, or any other hunger striking detainee.
Qaraqe’ said the Israeli Law, allowing force-feeding the striking detainees, and all Israeli violations against the detainees, must be filed to the International Criminal Court without any delay.
He also held the Israeli government, and its head Benjamin Netanyahu, responsible for the life of ‘Allan, who is currently facing a serious health condition, and that any attempt to force-feed him could end his life.
‘Allan is a lawyer from Einabous village, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus; Israeli soldiers kidnapped him in November of 2014. Since then, ‘Allan has been held under consecutive arbitrary Administrative Detention orders without charges or trial, each order for six months.
Qaraqe’ also stated that Israel’s laws and decisions were a series of serious violations, not only of International Law and of the Fourth Geneva Convention, but also violate the basic medical ethics.
The Palestinian Detainees Committee has reported, on Saturday evening, that dozens of detainees have launched an open-ended hunger strike, dozens expected to join on Sunday, and likely hundreds will join the strike, in the coming days.
It said that eleven detainees, held in the Ramon Israeli prison have started their strike, to join the 120 detainees in Nafha Israeli prison, who started their strike five days ago, protesting the ongoing and escalating violations.
The Committee further stated that dozens of detainees in the Negev Detention Camp, Eshil and Ramon Prisons, have decided to start their strike on Sunday.
After the Israeli Knesset passed an amendment on July 30 allowing the force-feeding of hunger-striking Palestinian political prisoners, the Medical Committee in Soroka Israeli Hospital has granted, on Saturday evening, the doctors in charge of Mohammad Allan’s case, to force-feed him should they determine he could lose his life.
The Maan News Agency said that the spokesperson of the Soroka Israeli Hospital in Beersheba (Be’er as-Sabe’) told their reporter that the committee, headed by a retired judge, has decided to grant a green light to the doctors to force-feed ‘Allan, who started his hunger strike 55 days ago, protesting his illegal Administrative Detention, without charges or trial.
The head of the Palestinian Detainees Committee ‘Issa Qaraqe’, Palestinian Prisoners' Society head Qaddoura Fares and the Palestinian Health Minister, Dr. Jawad ‘Awwad, held a press conference at the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah, on Saturday evening, and warned of the consequences of force-feeding ‘Allan, or any other hunger striking detainee.
Qaraqe’ said the Israeli Law, allowing force-feeding the striking detainees, and all Israeli violations against the detainees, must be filed to the International Criminal Court without any delay.
He also held the Israeli government, and its head Benjamin Netanyahu, responsible for the life of ‘Allan, who is currently facing a serious health condition, and that any attempt to force-feed him could end his life.
‘Allan is a lawyer from Einabous village, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus; Israeli soldiers kidnapped him in November of 2014. Since then, ‘Allan has been held under consecutive arbitrary Administrative Detention orders without charges or trial, each order for six months.
Qaraqe’ also stated that Israel’s laws and decisions were a series of serious violations, not only of International Law and of the Fourth Geneva Convention, but also violate the basic medical ethics.
The Palestinian Detainees Committee has reported, on Saturday evening, that dozens of detainees have launched an open-ended hunger strike, dozens expected to join on Sunday, and likely hundreds will join the strike, in the coming days.
It said that eleven detainees, held in the Ramon Israeli prison have started their strike, to join the 120 detainees in Nafha Israeli prison, who started their strike five days ago, protesting the ongoing and escalating violations.
The Committee further stated that dozens of detainees in the Negev Detention Camp, Eshil and Ramon Prisons, have decided to start their strike on Sunday.
8 aug 2015
The Israeli Attorney’s Office seek to issue a court order to force feed the hunger striker Mohamed Allan, family sources affirmed Saturday.
Force-feeding hunger strikers is a breach of international law.
The brother of the Mohamed Allan told Quds Press that his lawyer informed them of the Israeli intention to seek a court order to force feed him due to his serious health deterioration as he continues his hunger strike for 53 days running.
The hunger striker’s family appealed for an immediate action to save their son before it is too late.
According to the lawyer, the request of the Attorney’s office could be appealed within 48 hours.
On July 30, Israeli Knesset has passed a bill allowing the force-feeding of hunger strikers; however the bill could not be applied only after 14 days according to Israeli law, the lawyer explained.
Muhjat al-Quds foundation for martyrs and prisoners said that Israeli authorities are working to preempt the measures against the hunger strike.
The foundation pointed out that solidarity events and activities will be organized Sunday within the1948 occupied territories in support of the hunger striker Mohamed Allan.
The foundation also called on local and international organizations to urgently intervene for the release of Allan before it is too late.
For her part, Allan’s mother was denied access to visit her son in the Soroka Israeli Hospital. In response, she threatened to declare a hunger strike in solidarity with her detained son.
“My son is a lawyer, he never did anything to them to be treated like this, now he is dying,” she said, “Have some humanity, some mercy on him, he has been on strike for the 54th consecutive day, he is dying, please release my son, you can cut me into pieces, but I will never leave, I will burn myself instead”.
Three Palestinian prisoners were killed by Israeli force feeding in the early 1980s and the new force-feeding law is clearly intended to undermine the gains and accomplishments of the Palestinian prisoners’ movement obtained through hunger strikes, the most recent being the release of Khader Adnan on 12 July.
Lawyer: Israel set to force feed Palestinian prisoner
After 55 days without food, hunger striker and Islamic Jihad suspect Mohammed Allaan may be first Palestinian force fed under new Israeli law.
Israeli authorities have declared their intention to force feed a hunger-striking Palestinian, his lawyer said Saturday.
If carried out it would be the first case since the adoption last month of a new law permitting the practice. The International Committee of the Red Cross warned Friday that alleged Islamic Jihad activist Mohammed Allaan, held without charge since November, was “at immediate risk” of death after fasting for 50 days.
Allaan’s attorney Jamil al-Khatib told AFP Israeli judicial officials “informed me of the intention to proceed with the force feeding of Mr. Allaan.” “I have informed him of this but it does not alter his intention to continue his strike,” Khatib said, adding that his client had actually been refusing food for 55 days by Saturday. He added that Allaan was placed in intensive hospital care when his body became unable to absorb drinking water. The Palestinian health minister warned Saturday that the force feeding procedure itself would endanger Allaan’s life.
Allaan, himself a lawyer, is being held under a procedure allowing indefinite internment without charge. Palestinians in Israeli prisons regularly go on hunger strike in protest at conditions, particularly those who, like him, are held in what Israel calls administrative detention. On July 30, parliament approved a law allowing prisoners on hunger strike facing death to be force fed, sparking criticism from rights groups and doctors.
While the new law does not specifically mention Palestinians, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, who sponsored the legislation, said last week it was necessary since “hunger strikes of terrorists in prisons have become a means to threaten Israel.” Last month, Israel freed Islamic Jihad member Khader Adnan after a 56-day hunger strike that brought him near death.
Force-feeding hunger strikers is a breach of international law.
The brother of the Mohamed Allan told Quds Press that his lawyer informed them of the Israeli intention to seek a court order to force feed him due to his serious health deterioration as he continues his hunger strike for 53 days running.
The hunger striker’s family appealed for an immediate action to save their son before it is too late.
According to the lawyer, the request of the Attorney’s office could be appealed within 48 hours.
On July 30, Israeli Knesset has passed a bill allowing the force-feeding of hunger strikers; however the bill could not be applied only after 14 days according to Israeli law, the lawyer explained.
Muhjat al-Quds foundation for martyrs and prisoners said that Israeli authorities are working to preempt the measures against the hunger strike.
The foundation pointed out that solidarity events and activities will be organized Sunday within the1948 occupied territories in support of the hunger striker Mohamed Allan.
The foundation also called on local and international organizations to urgently intervene for the release of Allan before it is too late.
For her part, Allan’s mother was denied access to visit her son in the Soroka Israeli Hospital. In response, she threatened to declare a hunger strike in solidarity with her detained son.
“My son is a lawyer, he never did anything to them to be treated like this, now he is dying,” she said, “Have some humanity, some mercy on him, he has been on strike for the 54th consecutive day, he is dying, please release my son, you can cut me into pieces, but I will never leave, I will burn myself instead”.
Three Palestinian prisoners were killed by Israeli force feeding in the early 1980s and the new force-feeding law is clearly intended to undermine the gains and accomplishments of the Palestinian prisoners’ movement obtained through hunger strikes, the most recent being the release of Khader Adnan on 12 July.
Lawyer: Israel set to force feed Palestinian prisoner
After 55 days without food, hunger striker and Islamic Jihad suspect Mohammed Allaan may be first Palestinian force fed under new Israeli law.
Israeli authorities have declared their intention to force feed a hunger-striking Palestinian, his lawyer said Saturday.
If carried out it would be the first case since the adoption last month of a new law permitting the practice. The International Committee of the Red Cross warned Friday that alleged Islamic Jihad activist Mohammed Allaan, held without charge since November, was “at immediate risk” of death after fasting for 50 days.
Allaan’s attorney Jamil al-Khatib told AFP Israeli judicial officials “informed me of the intention to proceed with the force feeding of Mr. Allaan.” “I have informed him of this but it does not alter his intention to continue his strike,” Khatib said, adding that his client had actually been refusing food for 55 days by Saturday. He added that Allaan was placed in intensive hospital care when his body became unable to absorb drinking water. The Palestinian health minister warned Saturday that the force feeding procedure itself would endanger Allaan’s life.
Allaan, himself a lawyer, is being held under a procedure allowing indefinite internment without charge. Palestinians in Israeli prisons regularly go on hunger strike in protest at conditions, particularly those who, like him, are held in what Israel calls administrative detention. On July 30, parliament approved a law allowing prisoners on hunger strike facing death to be force fed, sparking criticism from rights groups and doctors.
While the new law does not specifically mention Palestinians, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, who sponsored the legislation, said last week it was necessary since “hunger strikes of terrorists in prisons have become a means to threaten Israel.” Last month, Israel freed Islamic Jihad member Khader Adnan after a 56-day hunger strike that brought him near death.
The heads of Catholic churches, Friday, filed a complaint against the chief of extremist Jewish group, Lehava, for advocating the burning of churches.
According to a press release issued by the Assembly of the Catholic Ordinaries on Friday, Father Pietro Felet, Secretary General of the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries in the Holy Land, filed an official complaint to the Israeli police, Friday morning, against the leader of radical Israeli organization Lehava, Bentsi Gopstein, demanding he be brought to justice for advocating the torching of churches.
The complaint, filed on behalf of over than twenty patriarchs and bishops, expressed “concern over what was described to be growing security challenges to churches, people and buildings alike, in areas under Israel's sovereignty or control.”
The complaint referred to several attacks that targeted churches and Christian holy sites by radical parties and hinted that in vast majority of these criminal incidents criminals were not brought to justice.
The complaint was referring to remarks made by Gopstein during a panel debating Jewish religious law, last Tuesday night in Jerusalem.
Responding to a question on whether he “is in favor of burning churches in the Land of Israel,” Gopstein answered: “Did the Rambam rule to destroy [idol worship] or not? Idol worship must be destroyed. It’s simply yes – what’s the question?”
He was reported in another version as answering, apparently alluding to the rulings of the 12th century Jewish ‘sage’ Mainonides “The law is straightforward; Maimonides’ interpretation is that one must burn idolatry. There’s not a single rabbi that would deliberate that fact. I expect the government of Israel to carry that out.”
When the panel moderator warned him that the panel was filmed and if the recording get to police he would be arrested, Gopstein said: “That’s the last thing that bothers me. If that’s the truth then I’m prepared to sit 50 years in prison for it.”
The complaint was made one day after the Palestinian Foreign Ministry issued a press statement vehemently denouncing the Israeli government’s “tolerance toward Gobshtai and other extremists who advocate murdering and terrorizing Palestinians and setting fire to their property.”
The Foreign Ministry held the Israeli government fully responsible for the consequences of such “racist and provocative” calls that have resulted in murdering Palestinians in the most atrocious fashion, particularly the burning to death of 18-month-old Palestinian toddler Ali Dawabsha and critically injury of his family members in an arson attack on a house in the Nablus village of Douma.
The Ministry, given a rise in the cycle of violence and counter-violence, slammed Israeli government’s policies and disregard of rising bloody extremism as responsible for the proliferation of the culture of hatred, violence and racism.
In December 2014, several Lehava members, including Gopstein himself, who lives in a settlement inside the West Bank city of Hebron, were detained on charges of setting fire to a first-grade classroom at Jerusalem's Hand-in-Hand school on November 29. Daubed on the walls in Hebrew were slogans reading 'Death to Arabs' and 'There's no coexistence with cancer.'
Lehava activists follow the teachings of the late Meir Kahane, a virulently anti-Arab rabbi whose Kach party and another offshoot were banned in 1994 after one of its members gunned down 29 Muslims in a flashpoint mosque in the West Bank city of Hebron.
According to a press release issued by the Assembly of the Catholic Ordinaries on Friday, Father Pietro Felet, Secretary General of the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries in the Holy Land, filed an official complaint to the Israeli police, Friday morning, against the leader of radical Israeli organization Lehava, Bentsi Gopstein, demanding he be brought to justice for advocating the torching of churches.
The complaint, filed on behalf of over than twenty patriarchs and bishops, expressed “concern over what was described to be growing security challenges to churches, people and buildings alike, in areas under Israel's sovereignty or control.”
The complaint referred to several attacks that targeted churches and Christian holy sites by radical parties and hinted that in vast majority of these criminal incidents criminals were not brought to justice.
The complaint was referring to remarks made by Gopstein during a panel debating Jewish religious law, last Tuesday night in Jerusalem.
Responding to a question on whether he “is in favor of burning churches in the Land of Israel,” Gopstein answered: “Did the Rambam rule to destroy [idol worship] or not? Idol worship must be destroyed. It’s simply yes – what’s the question?”
He was reported in another version as answering, apparently alluding to the rulings of the 12th century Jewish ‘sage’ Mainonides “The law is straightforward; Maimonides’ interpretation is that one must burn idolatry. There’s not a single rabbi that would deliberate that fact. I expect the government of Israel to carry that out.”
When the panel moderator warned him that the panel was filmed and if the recording get to police he would be arrested, Gopstein said: “That’s the last thing that bothers me. If that’s the truth then I’m prepared to sit 50 years in prison for it.”
The complaint was made one day after the Palestinian Foreign Ministry issued a press statement vehemently denouncing the Israeli government’s “tolerance toward Gobshtai and other extremists who advocate murdering and terrorizing Palestinians and setting fire to their property.”
The Foreign Ministry held the Israeli government fully responsible for the consequences of such “racist and provocative” calls that have resulted in murdering Palestinians in the most atrocious fashion, particularly the burning to death of 18-month-old Palestinian toddler Ali Dawabsha and critically injury of his family members in an arson attack on a house in the Nablus village of Douma.
The Ministry, given a rise in the cycle of violence and counter-violence, slammed Israeli government’s policies and disregard of rising bloody extremism as responsible for the proliferation of the culture of hatred, violence and racism.
In December 2014, several Lehava members, including Gopstein himself, who lives in a settlement inside the West Bank city of Hebron, were detained on charges of setting fire to a first-grade classroom at Jerusalem's Hand-in-Hand school on November 29. Daubed on the walls in Hebrew were slogans reading 'Death to Arabs' and 'There's no coexistence with cancer.'
Lehava activists follow the teachings of the late Meir Kahane, a virulently anti-Arab rabbi whose Kach party and another offshoot were banned in 1994 after one of its members gunned down 29 Muslims in a flashpoint mosque in the West Bank city of Hebron.
7 aug 2015
The district court in occupied Jerusalem on Thursday issued a verdict banning Palestinians from entering the Aqsa Mosque, where they work as guards and administrators, until August 16.
The court judge refused to describe her decision as a ban on the entry of Aqsa Mosque employees and claimed that the defendants would be given leave of absence for 10 days, during which they would not be allowed to enter or approach the Mosque.
The court hearing was held to look into the appeal filed by the Israeli police against an earlier decision by the magistrate's court in Jerusalem refusing its request to prevent a number of guards and administrators working at the Aqsa Mosque as well as one Jerusalemite young man from entering the Islamic holy place for several days.
The district court also gave the Israeli police 10 days to study the possibility of filing indictments against the defendants.
The court judge refused to describe her decision as a ban on the entry of Aqsa Mosque employees and claimed that the defendants would be given leave of absence for 10 days, during which they would not be allowed to enter or approach the Mosque.
The court hearing was held to look into the appeal filed by the Israeli police against an earlier decision by the magistrate's court in Jerusalem refusing its request to prevent a number of guards and administrators working at the Aqsa Mosque as well as one Jerusalemite young man from entering the Islamic holy place for several days.
The district court also gave the Israeli police 10 days to study the possibility of filing indictments against the defendants.
Justice minister wants to split AG's authorities into roles of public prosecutor and chief legal counsel to government, but PM says such a move would harm AG's abilities to fulfill his duties.
Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked's initiative to divide the duties of the attorney general to two different roles - head of the public prosecution system and chief legal counsel to the government - was thwarted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday.
Earlier this week, Shaked informed the committee to select the next attorney general that the position could be divided and that each candidate will have to bear in mind they might have to give up a significant part of the authorities the position entails. Netanyahu, however, signaled to the commission that he opposes dividing the role of the attorney general "because it could harm the attorney general's ability to fulfill his duties."
"The attorney general plays a critical role in the system of checks and balances, which is at the very foundation of Israeli democracy," the Prime Minister's Office said.
"Dividing the role could limit the wide overview of the system he currently has, which is required for him to perform his duties in the best possible manner." Shaked's position, which is similar to that of former justice ministers Yaakov Neeman and Daniel Friedmann, is expected to be met - like her predecessors - with firm opposition from Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein and senior officials in the judicial system.
During Neeman's time in office, he enjoyed Netanyahu's support, as well as that of the prime minister's senior partner Ehud Barak, but the moment Netanyahu encountered the aggressive objection of the judicial system, he barred Neeman from moving ahead with the plan to divide the role. Shaked believes there is too much "advisory activism."
She thinks that the fact the attorney general holds so many authorities makes it difficult for him to provide the government with quick consulting services, as well as help it fulfill its policies. Shaked also believes, like her predecessors, that the powers given to the person holding the position deter ministers from confronting him to her on important issues.
During his tenure, Neeman explained his proposal to split the role by saying: "There is no person in the State of Israel who is entirely dedicated to criminal law enforcement, coordination with the police, the Money Laundering Prohibition Authority and the Tax Authority. If these issues are given the proper attention, results can be achieved."
According to Neeman's proposal, the attorney general will deal only with law enforcement.
Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked's initiative to divide the duties of the attorney general to two different roles - head of the public prosecution system and chief legal counsel to the government - was thwarted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday.
Earlier this week, Shaked informed the committee to select the next attorney general that the position could be divided and that each candidate will have to bear in mind they might have to give up a significant part of the authorities the position entails. Netanyahu, however, signaled to the commission that he opposes dividing the role of the attorney general "because it could harm the attorney general's ability to fulfill his duties."
"The attorney general plays a critical role in the system of checks and balances, which is at the very foundation of Israeli democracy," the Prime Minister's Office said.
"Dividing the role could limit the wide overview of the system he currently has, which is required for him to perform his duties in the best possible manner." Shaked's position, which is similar to that of former justice ministers Yaakov Neeman and Daniel Friedmann, is expected to be met - like her predecessors - with firm opposition from Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein and senior officials in the judicial system.
During Neeman's time in office, he enjoyed Netanyahu's support, as well as that of the prime minister's senior partner Ehud Barak, but the moment Netanyahu encountered the aggressive objection of the judicial system, he barred Neeman from moving ahead with the plan to divide the role. Shaked believes there is too much "advisory activism."
She thinks that the fact the attorney general holds so many authorities makes it difficult for him to provide the government with quick consulting services, as well as help it fulfill its policies. Shaked also believes, like her predecessors, that the powers given to the person holding the position deter ministers from confronting him to her on important issues.
During his tenure, Neeman explained his proposal to split the role by saying: "There is no person in the State of Israel who is entirely dedicated to criminal law enforcement, coordination with the police, the Money Laundering Prohibition Authority and the Tax Authority. If these issues are given the proper attention, results can be achieved."
According to Neeman's proposal, the attorney general will deal only with law enforcement.
6 aug 2015
The Israeli occupation police on Wednesday appealed against a court verdict declining its request to ban Palestinians working as guards and administrators at the Aqsa Mosque from entering the Islamic holy place.
Lawyer Ramzi Kitelat stated that the Israeli police station in Qishleh area on Wednesday filed an appeal with the district court in occupied Jerusalem against a court order issued earlier by the magistrate's court refusing its request to impose an entry ban on Aqsa Mosque employees.
The lawyer, who works for Qudsna foundation for human rights, added that the district court would hold a hearing on Thursday to look into the appeal.
Lawyer Ramzi Kitelat stated that the Israeli police station in Qishleh area on Wednesday filed an appeal with the district court in occupied Jerusalem against a court order issued earlier by the magistrate's court refusing its request to impose an entry ban on Aqsa Mosque employees.
The lawyer, who works for Qudsna foundation for human rights, added that the district court would hold a hearing on Thursday to look into the appeal.
4 aug 2015
Former prisoner for nuclear espionage asks High Court for permission to visit wife's family abroad.
Nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu has requested permission to travel abroad and visit his wife's family, claiming it was never proven that he damaged national security - one of the main reasons the government imposed a travel ban on Vanunu.
The former prisoner of 18 years, including 12 in solitary confinement, also cited that he is banned from speaking about his work at the Negev Nuclear Research Center, under the threat of rearrest.
The High Court of Justice will consider the petition submitted by Vanunu next month, which demands removal of injunctions put in place as soon as he was released from jail in 2004. Vanunu was convicted of treason and espionage in 1988 after speaking to British media about Israel's secretive nuclear activities. Mossad agents were only able to arrest Vanunu after luring him to Rome.
In addition to his travel confinements abroad, Vanunu was forbidden from living his living quarters without informing authorities 48 hours before hand. He was also restricted from engaging on online chats or having any contact with foreign nationals - a restriction that was later eased to allow one-time conversations in public places that could not exceed 30 minutes in length.
Vanunu's lawyer claims that the travel restrictions placed on his client harm his basic human rights. Vanunu was also recently married to his girlfriend and says that the travel ban harms his familial relations.
Nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu has requested permission to travel abroad and visit his wife's family, claiming it was never proven that he damaged national security - one of the main reasons the government imposed a travel ban on Vanunu.
The former prisoner of 18 years, including 12 in solitary confinement, also cited that he is banned from speaking about his work at the Negev Nuclear Research Center, under the threat of rearrest.
The High Court of Justice will consider the petition submitted by Vanunu next month, which demands removal of injunctions put in place as soon as he was released from jail in 2004. Vanunu was convicted of treason and espionage in 1988 after speaking to British media about Israel's secretive nuclear activities. Mossad agents were only able to arrest Vanunu after luring him to Rome.
In addition to his travel confinements abroad, Vanunu was forbidden from living his living quarters without informing authorities 48 hours before hand. He was also restricted from engaging on online chats or having any contact with foreign nationals - a restriction that was later eased to allow one-time conversations in public places that could not exceed 30 minutes in length.
Vanunu's lawyer claims that the travel restrictions placed on his client harm his basic human rights. Vanunu was also recently married to his girlfriend and says that the travel ban harms his familial relations.
