13 sept 2015
The Israeli Tax Authority has rejected a claim for compensation by officials of the Catholic Church demanding compensation for the burnt Church of Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes, which was burnt which was burnt in an Israeli terrorist arson attack, last June.
Israeli Channel 2 has reported, Wednesday, that tax officials, who visited the burnt historic Christian church, where according to Christianity Jesus Christ multiplied loaves and fishes, have decided that the assault "was not a terrorist attack."
Rejecting to label the attack on the Christian church in the Galilee as a terrorist attack means that the Israeli government has no obligation to pay any compensation, as Israel only pays compensation to victims of attacks it deems as terrorist.
The decision of the Tax Authority even ignores statements by senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, who both labeled it as a terrorist attack.
Israel apprehended and charged three Israeli Jewish extremists, believed to be responsible for the attack, and for writing racist graffiti saying, "Idols will be cast out."
The church filed a request for compensation for damages, but their appeal was denied.
The "Times Of Israel" quoted Amir Cohen, a tax authority official, saying that he was not convinced the attack on the church was politically motivated.
Cohen said, "the charges filed against the three Israeli suspects state that their attack carried a religious motivation," and "was based on religious hatred of Christians."
In light of these "findings," and statements, the Tax Authority absolved itself of any financial responsibility, as the law only requires the state to pay compensation for victims of war and terrorism.
It said the attackers believe that the expulsion of Christians is a commandment, as they consider them "idolators."
Christian officials urged Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, who visited to the burnt historic church before his visit to the Vatican a week go, to resolve the matter.
Rivlin contacted that Israeli Government Secretary's office, which, according to the Israeli paper, said it would "find a solution."
Israeli Channel 2 has reported, Wednesday, that tax officials, who visited the burnt historic Christian church, where according to Christianity Jesus Christ multiplied loaves and fishes, have decided that the assault "was not a terrorist attack."
Rejecting to label the attack on the Christian church in the Galilee as a terrorist attack means that the Israeli government has no obligation to pay any compensation, as Israel only pays compensation to victims of attacks it deems as terrorist.
The decision of the Tax Authority even ignores statements by senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, who both labeled it as a terrorist attack.
Israel apprehended and charged three Israeli Jewish extremists, believed to be responsible for the attack, and for writing racist graffiti saying, "Idols will be cast out."
The church filed a request for compensation for damages, but their appeal was denied.
The "Times Of Israel" quoted Amir Cohen, a tax authority official, saying that he was not convinced the attack on the church was politically motivated.
Cohen said, "the charges filed against the three Israeli suspects state that their attack carried a religious motivation," and "was based on religious hatred of Christians."
In light of these "findings," and statements, the Tax Authority absolved itself of any financial responsibility, as the law only requires the state to pay compensation for victims of war and terrorism.
It said the attackers believe that the expulsion of Christians is a commandment, as they consider them "idolators."
Christian officials urged Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, who visited to the burnt historic church before his visit to the Vatican a week go, to resolve the matter.
Rivlin contacted that Israeli Government Secretary's office, which, according to the Israeli paper, said it would "find a solution."
10 sept 2015
The Defense Minister confirmed the statement on two different occasions, stating that no arrests had been made in order to avoid exposing intelligence sources in court.
Security forces know who was behind the deadly arson attack in Duma last month, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon confirmed during a meeting of the Likud youth branch Tuesday.
Ya'alon was asked whether security forces had apprehended those responsible for the Jewish terrorist attack which killed three members of the Dawabsheh family, to which he answered, "We know who is responsible, but we will not expose those findings in order to protect our intelligence sources."
Ya'alon arrived at the ceremony, a festive event welcoming the New Year with the Likud youth, and referred to the incident which shocked the whole country.
"We are facing difficulties in establishing solid evidence," Ya'alon said to the attendees. "Right now we are not prosecuting those responsible in order to not expose our intelligence sources in court."
Ya'alon reaffirmed his comments during a Thursday a briefing at the Kirya military base, which centered on the lack of progress made in the Shin Bet investigation. He compared the current situation faced by the defense establishment to attempts at solving the investigations of two terrorist attacks in the early 1990s, which were thought to have been carried out by terrorists from the Popular Front during his time as commander of the Judea and Samarea division.
"We didn’t have enough evidence at that point to charge them, even though we know that they had carried out the attacks," he said. "So we arrested 59 members of the Popular Front who lived in the Ramallah area, and placed them in an extended six month administrative detention, and they were released after two years," he added.
"The attacks stopped immediately after the arrests, but resumed soon after their release. We won't stop our efforts to gather the evidence which will lead to indictments of those responsible for the Duma attack," Ya'alon concluded. Naser Dawabsheh, a member of the family, responded to the statement saying, "Ya'alon's statement is not justified, Israel must immediately expose the murderers. They burned the whole society and not just Duma."
Dawabsheh continued to say, "I know the attack was a major incident for Israel, and that Israel wants to arrest them in order to show the world that it is a country which chases and apprehends murderers." But he also added that, "Even if they will be arrested, what will happen then? The court will just say they are crazy, and they will live out their lives in some hotel like the murderers of Mohamed Abu- Khdeir."
Member of Knesset Aida Toma-Suleiman (Joint Arab List) reacted to Ya'alon's comments saying, "The Minister of Defense, who left the Dawabsheh family to die, continues his flagrant scornful attitude by saying that they will not prosecute the criminal murderers - in order to not expose their sources."
The Joint List MK continued to say, "Would it even be possible to think that the defense establishment would act the same way if a Jewish family was murdered. Ya'alon's remarks confirm the forgiving attitude within the system towards settler terrorism, which allows for the next murder." The Dawabsheh family home was set alight on July 31st. An initial investigation revealed that masked men threw Molotov cocktails into two homes, and spray painted "Long live the messiah king," and "revenge" in Hebrew on the walls.
The Dawabsheh family was staying in one of the homes, while the other was vacant. The family woke up as a result of the fire, and tried to escape the flames with two of their children, four-year-old Ahmed and eighteen-month-old Ali. The family managed to escape, however infant Ali died as a result of his burns. Saed Dawabsheh, Ali's father, succumbed to his injures a week later. Ali's mother, Reham fought for her life for over a month, but she too succumbed to her wounds on Sunday. The condition of the family's eldest son, Ahmed, has improved slightly in recent weeks, but he continues to be treated in the intensive care unit at Beer Sheva's Soroka hospital.
Reham's funeral took place in Duma, with 2000 people in attendance. Marchers at her funeral procession could be heard chanting, "Oh, Hamas, oh, al Qassam, attack them, the blood of the martyrs is calling you," while others yelled "Stop the criminals and murderers."
Hussien, Reham's father, protested the lack of arrests made in the case. According to him. "There is no such thing as not finding them. It's not my job; it’s the Shin bet's. A whole family died here." According to the Dawabsheh family, they have yet to be updated on the progress of the situation in light of multiple requests to the relevant officials.
Security forces know who was behind the deadly arson attack in Duma last month, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon confirmed during a meeting of the Likud youth branch Tuesday.
Ya'alon was asked whether security forces had apprehended those responsible for the Jewish terrorist attack which killed three members of the Dawabsheh family, to which he answered, "We know who is responsible, but we will not expose those findings in order to protect our intelligence sources."
Ya'alon arrived at the ceremony, a festive event welcoming the New Year with the Likud youth, and referred to the incident which shocked the whole country.
"We are facing difficulties in establishing solid evidence," Ya'alon said to the attendees. "Right now we are not prosecuting those responsible in order to not expose our intelligence sources in court."
Ya'alon reaffirmed his comments during a Thursday a briefing at the Kirya military base, which centered on the lack of progress made in the Shin Bet investigation. He compared the current situation faced by the defense establishment to attempts at solving the investigations of two terrorist attacks in the early 1990s, which were thought to have been carried out by terrorists from the Popular Front during his time as commander of the Judea and Samarea division.
"We didn’t have enough evidence at that point to charge them, even though we know that they had carried out the attacks," he said. "So we arrested 59 members of the Popular Front who lived in the Ramallah area, and placed them in an extended six month administrative detention, and they were released after two years," he added.
"The attacks stopped immediately after the arrests, but resumed soon after their release. We won't stop our efforts to gather the evidence which will lead to indictments of those responsible for the Duma attack," Ya'alon concluded. Naser Dawabsheh, a member of the family, responded to the statement saying, "Ya'alon's statement is not justified, Israel must immediately expose the murderers. They burned the whole society and not just Duma."
Dawabsheh continued to say, "I know the attack was a major incident for Israel, and that Israel wants to arrest them in order to show the world that it is a country which chases and apprehends murderers." But he also added that, "Even if they will be arrested, what will happen then? The court will just say they are crazy, and they will live out their lives in some hotel like the murderers of Mohamed Abu- Khdeir."
Member of Knesset Aida Toma-Suleiman (Joint Arab List) reacted to Ya'alon's comments saying, "The Minister of Defense, who left the Dawabsheh family to die, continues his flagrant scornful attitude by saying that they will not prosecute the criminal murderers - in order to not expose their sources."
The Joint List MK continued to say, "Would it even be possible to think that the defense establishment would act the same way if a Jewish family was murdered. Ya'alon's remarks confirm the forgiving attitude within the system towards settler terrorism, which allows for the next murder." The Dawabsheh family home was set alight on July 31st. An initial investigation revealed that masked men threw Molotov cocktails into two homes, and spray painted "Long live the messiah king," and "revenge" in Hebrew on the walls.
The Dawabsheh family was staying in one of the homes, while the other was vacant. The family woke up as a result of the fire, and tried to escape the flames with two of their children, four-year-old Ahmed and eighteen-month-old Ali. The family managed to escape, however infant Ali died as a result of his burns. Saed Dawabsheh, Ali's father, succumbed to his injures a week later. Ali's mother, Reham fought for her life for over a month, but she too succumbed to her wounds on Sunday. The condition of the family's eldest son, Ahmed, has improved slightly in recent weeks, but he continues to be treated in the intensive care unit at Beer Sheva's Soroka hospital.
Reham's funeral took place in Duma, with 2000 people in attendance. Marchers at her funeral procession could be heard chanting, "Oh, Hamas, oh, al Qassam, attack them, the blood of the martyrs is calling you," while others yelled "Stop the criminals and murderers."
Hussien, Reham's father, protested the lack of arrests made in the case. According to him. "There is no such thing as not finding them. It's not my job; it’s the Shin bet's. A whole family died here." According to the Dawabsheh family, they have yet to be updated on the progress of the situation in light of multiple requests to the relevant officials.
9 sept 2015
Dadon, left, and her killer Khalifa, right
Hussein Khalifa convicted in the murder of 19-year-old Shelly Dadon from Afula; judges called him a 'heinous murdered who murdered Shelly at a very young age'; Dadon's mother: 'She was murdered because she was Jewish.'
Taxi driver Hussein Khalifa was convicted on Wednesday of the murder of 19-year-old Shelly Dadon and was sentenced to life in prison. The court also ordered him to pay NIS 258,000 in compensation to Dadon's family.
Before the reading of the sentencing, Khalifa, who was arrested on June 16, maintained that he "didn't do anything." Dadon's father Yaakov, meanwhile, said before the beginning of the court hearing that he expected the murderer's home to be demolished "like every other terrorist's home." He called for the maximum punishment. "It's a shame there's no death sentence, like in every other normal country, but I expect him to get life in prison."
The state recognized the murder as a nationalistically motivated crime, even though that was not expressed in the indictment.
Dadon left her home in Afula on May 1, 2014, for a job interview in Migdal Ha'emek. Her body was found several hours later in a parking lot in the Ramat Gavriel industrial area. Police from Migdal Ha'emek found her body during a routine patrol at around 3pm the next day. They saw stab wounds on the body, and, suspecting a murder, called in heavy reinforcements.
A police investigation showed that on the day of her murder, Shelly's father Yaakov drove her to the junction at Afula Illit, from where she was meant to travel by bus to Migdal Ha'emek. She never arrived to her job interview. As far as police know, Dadon got as far as the city center, and then took a taxi ride to her death.
During her cab drive, Dadon started feeling unease and fear the driver. She called her cousin and whispered, "I'm in a taxi, a scary one," adding that she was so scared she could not breathe.
Instead of taking her to her job interview, Khalifa, who worked a taxi shuttle service for workers at factories in Migdal Ha'emek, drove Shelly to an abandoned parking lot on the outskirts of the industrial zone where he stabbed her 17 times "all over her body, in different depths, that clearly show the accused intended to kill her," the judges wrote in their verdict. During his trial, Khalifa claimed he stabbed Dadon only six times, in "non-lethal places." The judges rejected that claim.
Dadon tried to fight him off by scratching at him, and tried to defend herself with her arms, to no avail.
"For several horrible minutes, during which she was dragged by him from one place to another, the accused forcibly and mercilessly stabbed Shelly," the judges wrote in their verdict.
Khalifa then dumped her body, which was then found by police. After murdering Dadon, Khalifa drove away from the scene, washed her blood from the car, and threw away her cell phone and purse near the Arab village of Beit Zarzir, in northern Israel.
Dadon's father and other family members tried unsuccessfully to contact Shelly from 9am on May 2. Eventually Yaakov Dadon went to the police, who asked him to describe his daughter. He was soon told that she had been found dead in Migdal Ha'emek, and taken to the scene, where he identified his daughter's body.
Shortly after the murder, several Bedouin youth were arrested after using Dadon's credit card, but it later transpired that they found her bag after Khalifa ditched it, and they were released.
Khalifa was arrested a month after the murder following intense detective work by the Central Unit of the Israel Police's Northern District. Investigators checked every taxi in the area, reviewed hundreds of security cameras, and experts recovered information from her cellphone that was thrown into the bushes outside the parking lot.
Lab work done after Khalifa's arrest found two additional important pieces of evidence: Traces of Dadon's blood were found in the front seat's filling. In addition, DNA traces left under Dadon's nail, which was found in the scene of the crime, matched Khalifa's DNA.
During his interrogation, Khalifa admitted to the crimes attributed to him and even reenacted the murder, but he cut the reenactment short and decided to go back on his confession.
Dadon's mother, Ilana yelled at the killer: "How could you stab her so many times? How could you leave her there in a puddle of her own blood? Did she call out for me? You did all of this out of empty hatred, because she was a Jew."
The mother added, "This disgusting murderer deserves to suffer in pain, the same way we are suffering. Treat him as you would a terrorist."
After the reading of the verdict, Judge Asher Kula said: "We believe that there is no need to impose an additional cumulative punishment on the accused, as that would be a devaluation of the life sentence ... We heard the mother, we paid heed to her pain and her call to prosecute the accused to the fullest extent."
Hussein Khalifa convicted in the murder of 19-year-old Shelly Dadon from Afula; judges called him a 'heinous murdered who murdered Shelly at a very young age'; Dadon's mother: 'She was murdered because she was Jewish.'
Taxi driver Hussein Khalifa was convicted on Wednesday of the murder of 19-year-old Shelly Dadon and was sentenced to life in prison. The court also ordered him to pay NIS 258,000 in compensation to Dadon's family.
Before the reading of the sentencing, Khalifa, who was arrested on June 16, maintained that he "didn't do anything." Dadon's father Yaakov, meanwhile, said before the beginning of the court hearing that he expected the murderer's home to be demolished "like every other terrorist's home." He called for the maximum punishment. "It's a shame there's no death sentence, like in every other normal country, but I expect him to get life in prison."
The state recognized the murder as a nationalistically motivated crime, even though that was not expressed in the indictment.
Dadon left her home in Afula on May 1, 2014, for a job interview in Migdal Ha'emek. Her body was found several hours later in a parking lot in the Ramat Gavriel industrial area. Police from Migdal Ha'emek found her body during a routine patrol at around 3pm the next day. They saw stab wounds on the body, and, suspecting a murder, called in heavy reinforcements.
A police investigation showed that on the day of her murder, Shelly's father Yaakov drove her to the junction at Afula Illit, from where she was meant to travel by bus to Migdal Ha'emek. She never arrived to her job interview. As far as police know, Dadon got as far as the city center, and then took a taxi ride to her death.
During her cab drive, Dadon started feeling unease and fear the driver. She called her cousin and whispered, "I'm in a taxi, a scary one," adding that she was so scared she could not breathe.
Instead of taking her to her job interview, Khalifa, who worked a taxi shuttle service for workers at factories in Migdal Ha'emek, drove Shelly to an abandoned parking lot on the outskirts of the industrial zone where he stabbed her 17 times "all over her body, in different depths, that clearly show the accused intended to kill her," the judges wrote in their verdict. During his trial, Khalifa claimed he stabbed Dadon only six times, in "non-lethal places." The judges rejected that claim.
Dadon tried to fight him off by scratching at him, and tried to defend herself with her arms, to no avail.
"For several horrible minutes, during which she was dragged by him from one place to another, the accused forcibly and mercilessly stabbed Shelly," the judges wrote in their verdict.
Khalifa then dumped her body, which was then found by police. After murdering Dadon, Khalifa drove away from the scene, washed her blood from the car, and threw away her cell phone and purse near the Arab village of Beit Zarzir, in northern Israel.
Dadon's father and other family members tried unsuccessfully to contact Shelly from 9am on May 2. Eventually Yaakov Dadon went to the police, who asked him to describe his daughter. He was soon told that she had been found dead in Migdal Ha'emek, and taken to the scene, where he identified his daughter's body.
Shortly after the murder, several Bedouin youth were arrested after using Dadon's credit card, but it later transpired that they found her bag after Khalifa ditched it, and they were released.
Khalifa was arrested a month after the murder following intense detective work by the Central Unit of the Israel Police's Northern District. Investigators checked every taxi in the area, reviewed hundreds of security cameras, and experts recovered information from her cellphone that was thrown into the bushes outside the parking lot.
Lab work done after Khalifa's arrest found two additional important pieces of evidence: Traces of Dadon's blood were found in the front seat's filling. In addition, DNA traces left under Dadon's nail, which was found in the scene of the crime, matched Khalifa's DNA.
During his interrogation, Khalifa admitted to the crimes attributed to him and even reenacted the murder, but he cut the reenactment short and decided to go back on his confession.
Dadon's mother, Ilana yelled at the killer: "How could you stab her so many times? How could you leave her there in a puddle of her own blood? Did she call out for me? You did all of this out of empty hatred, because she was a Jew."
The mother added, "This disgusting murderer deserves to suffer in pain, the same way we are suffering. Treat him as you would a terrorist."
After the reading of the verdict, Judge Asher Kula said: "We believe that there is no need to impose an additional cumulative punishment on the accused, as that would be a devaluation of the life sentence ... We heard the mother, we paid heed to her pain and her call to prosecute the accused to the fullest extent."
7 sept 2015
Six police officers and a Border Policeman were reassigned and four other police officers were formally reprimanded for their responsibility in the Jerusalem police's failure to prevent the stabbing at the Jerusalem Pride Parade in July, it was cleared for publication on Sunday.
Yishai Shlissel, a Jewish zealot who was released from prison mere weeks before the parade after serving a 10 year term for a similar attack, stabbed six people at the parade, killing 16-year-old Shira Banki and leaving five others wounded. Acting Police Commissioner, Maj.-Gen. Benzi Sau, decided to adopt the conclusions of an internal inquiry commission.
The commission's conclusions were submitted to Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan last week, and were cleared for publication on Sunday.
The commander of the Police's Jerusalem District, Maj.-Gen. Moshe Edri, was reprimanded, as the commission holds him responsible for the goings on in the district. The commission noted that under Edri's command, there wasn't a clear division of responsibilities among the different sub-districts.
The commander of the Zion sub-district, Brig.-Gen. Efraim Habibian, was also reprimanded, due to the failings found in the operations of policemen in his sub-district, mostly with regards to intelligence activity.
The most senior officer to be reassigned is the commander of the Moriah sub-district, Brig.-Gen. Kobi Davidian. He is barred from promotion in the next five years, and will not serve in command positions in the future. It was in his area that the attack occurred, and the commission holds him responsible for the failings of the officers under his command.
The head of the intelligence branch in the Jerusalem District Police, Chief Supt. Doron Moshe, was also reassigned and barred from promotion to any operational or command positions in the next seven years. He is also barred from any intelligence positions in the future.
The head of the operational branch of the police's Central Unit, Chief Supt. Shai Hilleli – who tackled Shlissel, stopping the attack – was reassigned and is barred from operational positions in the next five years. The commission praised Allleli's actions in overpowering Shlissel, but in the same breath ruled he should be removed from his role because his forces were
The head of the Moriah sub-district's intelligence and detection office, Supt. Tzachi Halfon, was reassigned after he failed in fulfilling his responsibilities and some of the district commander's orders.
The Moriah sub-district's operations officer, Chief Supt. Shlomo Bachar, was reprimanded after failing in fulfilling his responsibility to adequately brief mission commanders at the parade.
The Zion sub-district's intelligence officer, Supt. Yitzhak Shamiya, was reprimanded as well.
Furthermore, the commander of Section B of the parade route, Chief Inspector Oleg Golend, was reassigned and is barred from command positions for five years.
The head of the reporting and coordination center, Supt. Doron Shalom, was reassigned and will not attend commanders' course.
A border policeman stationed at the roadblock on Washington Street was also reassigned and barred from command positions in the future.
The inquiry commission noted in its report that the police failed to properly handle intelligence alerts and threats Shlissel made to repeat his crime, which resulted in its failure to prevent him from entering the parade's area and getting to the marchers.
According to the commission's report, high ranking officers at the scene had photos of Shlissel in their possession, but the photos were not distributed to policemen and women in the field.
An additional finding in the report stated that a planned checkpoint for the street from which Shlissel entered was not established.
Furthermore, searches were not conducted according to plan. Police observers covered only the interior of the parade area, and not the surrounding streets. In short, security protocols were not fully implemented according to plan, the commission found.
The commission, headed by Maj.-Gen. (ret.) Yisrael Yitzhak, submitted its initial conclusions in mid-August, but Erdan asked the commission to examine its conclusions more thoroughly.
The inquiry commission was formed by Interim Police Commissioner Sau soon after the murder to examine how Shlissel was able to commit the same crime he committed a decade prior.
Among other things, the commission examined why Shlissel was not under police surveillance, despite the fact he announced his intentions to harm the marchers at the pride parade. The commission also examined why orders from police officers, who alerted that Shlissel had been released from prison and might harm the marchers, were not conveyed to the policemen on the ground, or were not followed.
Policeman dismissed despite subduing pride parade attacker
Shai Alleli among 7 police officers reprimanded for security gaps; commission finds that law enforcement did not search surrounding area and photos of Shlissel were not given to officers in the field.
The police commander who tackled Yishai Shlissel, preventing him from continuing his stabbing spree at the Jerusalem pride parade in June, has been dismissed from his role, it was revealed Sunday.
Six police commanders and a police officer were reprimanded as result of alleged security failures that allowed attack to occur.
Among the commanders was the head of the operational branch of the police's Central Unit, Chief Supt. Shai Alleli, who was reassigned and is barred from operational positions in the next five years.
An internal inquiry commission praised Allleli's actions in overpowering Shlissel, but in the same breath ruled he should be removed from his role because his forces were responsible for identifying "suspicious individuals" at the parade and nearby.
The commission found there was a disparity between the security plan proposed by Alleli and the one that was ultimately approved. It noted that identifying suspicious individuals focused solely on the parade itself, not the surrounding area.
Alleli is likely to request a hearing from the commission in the hopes of reversing the decision.
Alleli's attorney, Gadi Tal, said the responsibility of monitoring individuals recently released from prison "for a similar act", like Shlissel, was not his client's responsibility.
Interim Police Chief Maj.-Gen. Benzi Sau accepted the commission's findings and ordered their implementation.
The most senior officer to be reprimanded was the commander of the Moriah sub-district, Brig.-Gen. Kobi Davidian. He was barred from promotion in the next five years, and will not serve in command positions in the future.
According to the commission's report, high-ranking officers at the scene had photos of Shlissel in their possession, but the photos were not distributed to police in the field.
An additional finding in the report stated that a planned checkpoint for the street from which Shlissel entered was not established.
Furthermore, searches were not conducted according to plan. Police observers covered only the interior of the parade area, and not the surrounding streets. In short, security protocols were not fully implemented according to plan, the commission found.
Yishai Shlissel, a Jewish zealot who was released from prison mere weeks before the parade after serving a 10 year term for a similar attack, stabbed six people at the parade, killing 16-year-old Shira Banki and leaving five others wounded. Acting Police Commissioner, Maj.-Gen. Benzi Sau, decided to adopt the conclusions of an internal inquiry commission.
The commission's conclusions were submitted to Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan last week, and were cleared for publication on Sunday.
The commander of the Police's Jerusalem District, Maj.-Gen. Moshe Edri, was reprimanded, as the commission holds him responsible for the goings on in the district. The commission noted that under Edri's command, there wasn't a clear division of responsibilities among the different sub-districts.
The commander of the Zion sub-district, Brig.-Gen. Efraim Habibian, was also reprimanded, due to the failings found in the operations of policemen in his sub-district, mostly with regards to intelligence activity.
The most senior officer to be reassigned is the commander of the Moriah sub-district, Brig.-Gen. Kobi Davidian. He is barred from promotion in the next five years, and will not serve in command positions in the future. It was in his area that the attack occurred, and the commission holds him responsible for the failings of the officers under his command.
The head of the intelligence branch in the Jerusalem District Police, Chief Supt. Doron Moshe, was also reassigned and barred from promotion to any operational or command positions in the next seven years. He is also barred from any intelligence positions in the future.
The head of the operational branch of the police's Central Unit, Chief Supt. Shai Hilleli – who tackled Shlissel, stopping the attack – was reassigned and is barred from operational positions in the next five years. The commission praised Allleli's actions in overpowering Shlissel, but in the same breath ruled he should be removed from his role because his forces were
The head of the Moriah sub-district's intelligence and detection office, Supt. Tzachi Halfon, was reassigned after he failed in fulfilling his responsibilities and some of the district commander's orders.
The Moriah sub-district's operations officer, Chief Supt. Shlomo Bachar, was reprimanded after failing in fulfilling his responsibility to adequately brief mission commanders at the parade.
The Zion sub-district's intelligence officer, Supt. Yitzhak Shamiya, was reprimanded as well.
Furthermore, the commander of Section B of the parade route, Chief Inspector Oleg Golend, was reassigned and is barred from command positions for five years.
The head of the reporting and coordination center, Supt. Doron Shalom, was reassigned and will not attend commanders' course.
A border policeman stationed at the roadblock on Washington Street was also reassigned and barred from command positions in the future.
The inquiry commission noted in its report that the police failed to properly handle intelligence alerts and threats Shlissel made to repeat his crime, which resulted in its failure to prevent him from entering the parade's area and getting to the marchers.
According to the commission's report, high ranking officers at the scene had photos of Shlissel in their possession, but the photos were not distributed to policemen and women in the field.
An additional finding in the report stated that a planned checkpoint for the street from which Shlissel entered was not established.
Furthermore, searches were not conducted according to plan. Police observers covered only the interior of the parade area, and not the surrounding streets. In short, security protocols were not fully implemented according to plan, the commission found.
The commission, headed by Maj.-Gen. (ret.) Yisrael Yitzhak, submitted its initial conclusions in mid-August, but Erdan asked the commission to examine its conclusions more thoroughly.
The inquiry commission was formed by Interim Police Commissioner Sau soon after the murder to examine how Shlissel was able to commit the same crime he committed a decade prior.
Among other things, the commission examined why Shlissel was not under police surveillance, despite the fact he announced his intentions to harm the marchers at the pride parade. The commission also examined why orders from police officers, who alerted that Shlissel had been released from prison and might harm the marchers, were not conveyed to the policemen on the ground, or were not followed.
Policeman dismissed despite subduing pride parade attacker
Shai Alleli among 7 police officers reprimanded for security gaps; commission finds that law enforcement did not search surrounding area and photos of Shlissel were not given to officers in the field.
The police commander who tackled Yishai Shlissel, preventing him from continuing his stabbing spree at the Jerusalem pride parade in June, has been dismissed from his role, it was revealed Sunday.
Six police commanders and a police officer were reprimanded as result of alleged security failures that allowed attack to occur.
Among the commanders was the head of the operational branch of the police's Central Unit, Chief Supt. Shai Alleli, who was reassigned and is barred from operational positions in the next five years.
An internal inquiry commission praised Allleli's actions in overpowering Shlissel, but in the same breath ruled he should be removed from his role because his forces were responsible for identifying "suspicious individuals" at the parade and nearby.
The commission found there was a disparity between the security plan proposed by Alleli and the one that was ultimately approved. It noted that identifying suspicious individuals focused solely on the parade itself, not the surrounding area.
Alleli is likely to request a hearing from the commission in the hopes of reversing the decision.
Alleli's attorney, Gadi Tal, said the responsibility of monitoring individuals recently released from prison "for a similar act", like Shlissel, was not his client's responsibility.
Interim Police Chief Maj.-Gen. Benzi Sau accepted the commission's findings and ordered their implementation.
The most senior officer to be reprimanded was the commander of the Moriah sub-district, Brig.-Gen. Kobi Davidian. He was barred from promotion in the next five years, and will not serve in command positions in the future.
According to the commission's report, high-ranking officers at the scene had photos of Shlissel in their possession, but the photos were not distributed to police in the field.
An additional finding in the report stated that a planned checkpoint for the street from which Shlissel entered was not established.
Furthermore, searches were not conducted according to plan. Police observers covered only the interior of the parade area, and not the surrounding streets. In short, security protocols were not fully implemented according to plan, the commission found.
3 sept 2015
A horde of Jewish settlers on Wednesday bulldozed Palestinian cultivated plots of land and built dirt roads in Qaryut town, south of Nablus city.
Anti-settlement activist Bashar al-Qaryuti stated that the settlers used heavy machinery to bulldoze cultivated lands south of Qaryut before they embarked on building and fencing agricultural routes.
Qaryuti added that the seized area is part of a vast tract of Palestinian land amounting to 400 dunums, which is legally dealt with at Israeli court after settlers have already appropriated it and prevented its owners from reaching it.
He stressed that the settlers violated an Israeli court order barring anyone from making any changes to this area until a verdict was issued regarding its rightful owners.
He also said that groups of settlers from Eli settlement have been continuing for more than a week to bulldoze and reclaiming Palestinian-owned lands west of the town in order to use it for agricultural purposes.
Anti-settlement activist Bashar al-Qaryuti stated that the settlers used heavy machinery to bulldoze cultivated lands south of Qaryut before they embarked on building and fencing agricultural routes.
Qaryuti added that the seized area is part of a vast tract of Palestinian land amounting to 400 dunums, which is legally dealt with at Israeli court after settlers have already appropriated it and prevented its owners from reaching it.
He stressed that the settlers violated an Israeli court order barring anyone from making any changes to this area until a verdict was issued regarding its rightful owners.
He also said that groups of settlers from Eli settlement have been continuing for more than a week to bulldoze and reclaiming Palestinian-owned lands west of the town in order to use it for agricultural purposes.
The Israeli Knesset passed a controversial counter-terrorism bill in its first reading overnight Wednesday, with a majority of MKs voting in support of a bill boosting the government’s tyranny against Palestinians involved in anti-occupation activities.
The new bill increases the government's authority and expands implausible definitions of what constitutes a terrorist organization, in reference to anti-occupation groups.
The proposed law gives the Israeli occupation authorities an indefinite freedom to legally pursue charities or even civil society organizations in case they or anyone from the occupied Palestinian territories show any solidarity to resistance against the occupation.
The new law would also impose imprisonment up to three years for anyone who declares solidarity with a "terrorist" organization and gives the Israeli minister of security the right to declare any group as "terrorist," and criminalize it for merely announcing its solidarity or support for resistance operations without it having any connection to these operations.
According to the articles of the proposed law, Israeli authorities could define charities and relief associations as "terrorist" organizations in case they found that they have any link to Hamas; any supporter of these organizations who is over the age of 12 may be prosecuted even for wearing clothes bearing the name of this organization.
The proposed law also legislates for a series of penalties without resorting to emergency laws, as was the case to this day, such as administrative arrests, detaining those arrested for 48 hours before the person is allowed to see a lawyer or go to court.
The new bill increases the government's authority and expands implausible definitions of what constitutes a terrorist organization, in reference to anti-occupation groups.
The proposed law gives the Israeli occupation authorities an indefinite freedom to legally pursue charities or even civil society organizations in case they or anyone from the occupied Palestinian territories show any solidarity to resistance against the occupation.
The new law would also impose imprisonment up to three years for anyone who declares solidarity with a "terrorist" organization and gives the Israeli minister of security the right to declare any group as "terrorist," and criminalize it for merely announcing its solidarity or support for resistance operations without it having any connection to these operations.
According to the articles of the proposed law, Israeli authorities could define charities and relief associations as "terrorist" organizations in case they found that they have any link to Hamas; any supporter of these organizations who is over the age of 12 may be prosecuted even for wearing clothes bearing the name of this organization.
The proposed law also legislates for a series of penalties without resorting to emergency laws, as was the case to this day, such as administrative arrests, detaining those arrested for 48 hours before the person is allowed to see a lawyer or go to court.
2 sept 2015
Abu Najma. Claims that since the incident he's suffered from hearing problems
Six men, who served as guards for PM Olmert in 2008, were accused of using excessive force against two Arab gardeners; One has been convicted, while the others were disciplined internally.
Seven years after they were beaten by former prime minister Ehud Olmert's security guards near the prime minister's residence in Jerusalem, leading to their hospitalization, Ihab Abu Najma and Ahmad Abu Jamal were shocked to discover that the charges against five of the six suspected batterers have been dropped.
Two years ago, the Police Internal Investigations Department planned to file indictments against the six, subject to a hearing. Only one of the security guards was indicted, but a deal was signed as part of the legal proceedings in which he was not convicted, but sentenced to 120 hours of community service and had to pay restitutions to the victims.
Six men, who served as guards for PM Olmert in 2008, were accused of using excessive force against two Arab gardeners; One has been convicted, while the others were disciplined internally.
Seven years after they were beaten by former prime minister Ehud Olmert's security guards near the prime minister's residence in Jerusalem, leading to their hospitalization, Ihab Abu Najma and Ahmad Abu Jamal were shocked to discover that the charges against five of the six suspected batterers have been dropped.
Two years ago, the Police Internal Investigations Department planned to file indictments against the six, subject to a hearing. Only one of the security guards was indicted, but a deal was signed as part of the legal proceedings in which he was not convicted, but sentenced to 120 hours of community service and had to pay restitutions to the victims.
Abu Jamal
Two of the guards have since left government employment, and so the case files against them have been expunged. The other three were severely reprimanded and their wages were expropriated. In August 2008, when then-PM Ehud Olmert was in his home, two gardeners, Abu Najma and Abu Jamal, passed by.
They were working in the Jerusalem neighborhoods of Rehavya and Talbieh and arrived near the PM's residence wearing gardening clothes and carrying equipment, including a spray can and hedge clippers.
The guards asked them to present their IDs, but the gardeners refused. More guards arrived on the scene and a altercation began, in which the gardeners were beaten with fists to their stomachs, chests, and heads.
The two gardeners began to bleed and a Magen David Adom (MDA) ambulance was called. They were treated and taken to Shaare Zedek and Hadassah Ein Kerem hospitals.
While the internal investigation was ongoing, the two gardeners filed a civil suit against the public security ministry, in which a the state agreed to settle for NIS 200,000 without admitting to the prosecution's charges. "Two victims were bodily harmed and hospitalized in a state considered medium-to-severe, and at the end of the day the criminal case was closed due to lack of interest by the public," said the gardeners' lawyer, Nasser Ali.
Ariel Atari, the lawyer representing one of the guards who's charges were dropped, said, "Internal affairs were convinced that the violence used by the guard was completely justified."
Two of the guards have since left government employment, and so the case files against them have been expunged. The other three were severely reprimanded and their wages were expropriated. In August 2008, when then-PM Ehud Olmert was in his home, two gardeners, Abu Najma and Abu Jamal, passed by.
They were working in the Jerusalem neighborhoods of Rehavya and Talbieh and arrived near the PM's residence wearing gardening clothes and carrying equipment, including a spray can and hedge clippers.
The guards asked them to present their IDs, but the gardeners refused. More guards arrived on the scene and a altercation began, in which the gardeners were beaten with fists to their stomachs, chests, and heads.
The two gardeners began to bleed and a Magen David Adom (MDA) ambulance was called. They were treated and taken to Shaare Zedek and Hadassah Ein Kerem hospitals.
While the internal investigation was ongoing, the two gardeners filed a civil suit against the public security ministry, in which a the state agreed to settle for NIS 200,000 without admitting to the prosecution's charges. "Two victims were bodily harmed and hospitalized in a state considered medium-to-severe, and at the end of the day the criminal case was closed due to lack of interest by the public," said the gardeners' lawyer, Nasser Ali.
Ariel Atari, the lawyer representing one of the guards who's charges were dropped, said, "Internal affairs were convinced that the violence used by the guard was completely justified."
1 sept 2015
Investigation into 2014 incident leads Israeli police to conclusion that now MK Oren Hazan broke the law, assaulted Ariel city manager.
Israeli police recommended bringing criminal charges against MK Oren Hazan (Likud) Tuesday, for assaulting a civil servant and public misconduct.
The recommendation came as police finished investigations into an incident that took place in October 2014 during which Hazan allegedly assaulted the city manager of Ariel at City Hall during an argument that erupted between the two regarding Hazan's debt to the municipality.
Hazan was not an MK at the time of the incident. Investigations were launched after leaders in Ariel's City Hall decided to press charges. Hazan was later elected to the Knesset.
The investigation's findings will be transferred to the State Prosecutor's Office in the coming days for review and a final decision on how to proceed.
Israeli police recommended bringing criminal charges against MK Oren Hazan (Likud) Tuesday, for assaulting a civil servant and public misconduct.
The recommendation came as police finished investigations into an incident that took place in October 2014 during which Hazan allegedly assaulted the city manager of Ariel at City Hall during an argument that erupted between the two regarding Hazan's debt to the municipality.
Hazan was not an MK at the time of the incident. Investigations were launched after leaders in Ariel's City Hall decided to press charges. Hazan was later elected to the Knesset.
The investigation's findings will be transferred to the State Prosecutor's Office in the coming days for review and a final decision on how to proceed.
