23 apr 2013
Police release Lieberman transcripts prior to court session
Interrogation records show former FM at his most abrasive as he dismisses credibility of suspects, interrogators
Police released Tuesday the transcripts of Avigdor Lieberman's interrogations regarding the ongoing fraud and breach of trust case involving the former foreign minister.
Lieberman's indictment focused on his efforts to promote former Israeli ambassador to Belarus Ze’ev Ben-Aryeh, who had leaked him privileged information about a police probe pertaining to Lieberman.
The released materials represent a single investigation session that took place in March 2010.
According to the transcripts, the Yisrael Beiteinu chairman accused his investigators as kowtowing to the press and frequently resorted to derogatory terms.
Lieberman dismissed the credibility of Ben-Aryeh as a witness, branding him as "weak of character," repeatedly dubbing him an "idiot," and saying "had I investigated him for 10 hours, I'd made him confess he crucified Jesus Christ." Ben Aryeh, who served as the ambassador to Belarus between 2004-2009, was convicted in May 2012 under a plea bargain of obstructing justice and passing information to an unauthorized person.
During a hearing at the Jerusalem District Court, he was handed a four-month sentence, which the judge converted to community service. Investigations into Lieberman, 54, were first opened in 2001 and spanned nine countries.
The more serious allegations included money-laundering and bribery, but the attorney general said there was no chance of a conviction on those. The embattled statesman told interrogating policemen "I must say this investigation is the least interesting thing in the world to me. For you it might be a matter of promotion, medals... I couldn't care less."
When interrogators inquired why Lieberman treated the incident so lightly, he said "When you're sitting at the Knesset cafeteria you get 10 people accosting you with all sorts of rubbish each day." Lieberman's career depends on the outcome of the trial, as he announced that if he were convicted in any of the charges against him, he would quit politics altogether.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reserved the Foreign Ministry portfolio for Lieberman in the event the latter is cleared of all accusations against him.
The second session of Lieberman's trial will be held Thursday and the following sessions were scheduled for April 30, May 2, and May 7.
Related stories:
Police released Tuesday the transcripts of Avigdor Lieberman's interrogations regarding the ongoing fraud and breach of trust case involving the former foreign minister.
Lieberman's indictment focused on his efforts to promote former Israeli ambassador to Belarus Ze’ev Ben-Aryeh, who had leaked him privileged information about a police probe pertaining to Lieberman.
The released materials represent a single investigation session that took place in March 2010.
According to the transcripts, the Yisrael Beiteinu chairman accused his investigators as kowtowing to the press and frequently resorted to derogatory terms.
Lieberman dismissed the credibility of Ben-Aryeh as a witness, branding him as "weak of character," repeatedly dubbing him an "idiot," and saying "had I investigated him for 10 hours, I'd made him confess he crucified Jesus Christ." Ben Aryeh, who served as the ambassador to Belarus between 2004-2009, was convicted in May 2012 under a plea bargain of obstructing justice and passing information to an unauthorized person.
During a hearing at the Jerusalem District Court, he was handed a four-month sentence, which the judge converted to community service. Investigations into Lieberman, 54, were first opened in 2001 and spanned nine countries.
The more serious allegations included money-laundering and bribery, but the attorney general said there was no chance of a conviction on those. The embattled statesman told interrogating policemen "I must say this investigation is the least interesting thing in the world to me. For you it might be a matter of promotion, medals... I couldn't care less."
When interrogators inquired why Lieberman treated the incident so lightly, he said "When you're sitting at the Knesset cafeteria you get 10 people accosting you with all sorts of rubbish each day." Lieberman's career depends on the outcome of the trial, as he announced that if he were convicted in any of the charges against him, he would quit politics altogether.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reserved the Foreign Ministry portfolio for Lieberman in the event the latter is cleared of all accusations against him.
The second session of Lieberman's trial will be held Thursday and the following sessions were scheduled for April 30, May 2, and May 7.
Related stories:
18 apr 2013
Attacker of senior citizen sentenced to community service
Police sign plea bargain with Gamliel Vazanni, who physically assaulted 65-year-old man; Internal Security minister, police chief recently stated that attackers of elderly will face harsh punishment
Gamliel Vazanni, convicted of assault of a 65-year-old man, was sentenced last week, according to a plea bargain, to 400 hours of community service and monetary compensation to his victim in the amount of NIS 5,000 (roughly $1,380).
The Rehovot Magistrates Court Judge Yaron Levy said that "if it weren’t for the plea bargain, I would have sentenced the defendant to imprisonment. I approve the plea bargain reluctantly."
"It’s a big disappointment," the victim said of what he perceived to be too mild a punishment. "He attacked me for no reason… these plea bargains are a joke."
The victim added that ever since the incident he has been afraid to leave his house. Over the last few months, many assaults of senior citizens have come to the media's attention and Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich and Police Chief Yohanan Danino both stressed that such attacks will be severely punished. The police nonetheless signed the plea bargain with Vazanni last week. According to the indictment, Vazanni attacked the 65-year-old man who was walking his dog near the suspect's house. The suspect
accused the senior citizen of allowing his dog to defecate near Vazanni's residence and punched the victim in the shoulder, then pushed him to the ground. Dr. Dana Fogach, chairwoman of the Noga Center for Rights of Crime Victims, said that the plea bargain was an additional punishment to the victims. "This is one of many plea bargains, which punish the victims, sometimes just as badly as the violence they initially endured."
"The justice system must ask itself what kind of message it sends to those who were victims of a crime through such embarrassing penalties for violence and humiliation," Fogach proclaimed.
Related stories:
Gamliel Vazanni, convicted of assault of a 65-year-old man, was sentenced last week, according to a plea bargain, to 400 hours of community service and monetary compensation to his victim in the amount of NIS 5,000 (roughly $1,380).
The Rehovot Magistrates Court Judge Yaron Levy said that "if it weren’t for the plea bargain, I would have sentenced the defendant to imprisonment. I approve the plea bargain reluctantly."
"It’s a big disappointment," the victim said of what he perceived to be too mild a punishment. "He attacked me for no reason… these plea bargains are a joke."
The victim added that ever since the incident he has been afraid to leave his house. Over the last few months, many assaults of senior citizens have come to the media's attention and Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich and Police Chief Yohanan Danino both stressed that such attacks will be severely punished. The police nonetheless signed the plea bargain with Vazanni last week. According to the indictment, Vazanni attacked the 65-year-old man who was walking his dog near the suspect's house. The suspect
accused the senior citizen of allowing his dog to defecate near Vazanni's residence and punched the victim in the shoulder, then pushed him to the ground. Dr. Dana Fogach, chairwoman of the Noga Center for Rights of Crime Victims, said that the plea bargain was an additional punishment to the victims. "This is one of many plea bargains, which punish the victims, sometimes just as badly as the violence they initially endured."
"The justice system must ask itself what kind of message it sends to those who were victims of a crime through such embarrassing penalties for violence and humiliation," Fogach proclaimed.
Related stories:
Israeli immigration cop charged with beating, extorting immigrants
Policeman, who is also accused of performing indecent acts on a female foreign worker, is indicted along with Indian citizen who served as his informant.
An inspector with the Interior Ministry's immigration police was indicted Wednesday for threatening and extorting immigrants.
Adi Elsin, 30, is an inspector and intelligence coordinator in the Population, Immigration and Border Authority's Oz enforcement unit. He was indicted along with Anil Fortado, an Indian citizen, who served as an informant for Elsin, and together the two allegedly attacked and extorted Indian labor migrants. In a number of cases, Fortado allegedly bribed Elsin to cover up his violent acts; and in another case Elsin is accused of performing indecent acts on a female foreign worker.
Elsin, a resident of Bat Yam, is charged with four counts of extortion, seven counts of fraud and breach of trust, three of accepting bribes, and making threats, aggravated battery, unjustified confinement, fraudulent receipt of goods and indecent acts.
Fortado allegedly told the foreign workers he could arrange jobs for them and their families or friends, and in return they paid him thousands of dollars, states the indictment, filed Wednesday in Tel Aviv District Court. When the workers realized Fortado had done nothing for them, the demanded their money back - and then Elsin entered the picture. He would call the workers and present himself as an immigration inspector and threaten that if they did not stop demanding their money back, he would "make things difficult for them."
In another incident described in the indictment, Fortado allegedly beat two Indian workers with a wooden pole and sprayed pepper spray in their eyes. Two days later Elsin also met the two and threatened them, demanding that one of the workers turn over his passport and cell phone.
Elsin is also accused of harassing a female foreign worker from India. After she refused his romantic advances, saying she he had family back in India, he continued to call her and pressured her to meet with him. In one case he drove her in his car to a parking lot and offered to help her in his capacity as an immigration inspector in return for sex. She refused and Elsin allegedly threatened her.
"Elsin used methods of fear and violence against the complainants, taking advantage of the fact that the complainants are part of a weak group and are not aware of their legal rights, while using his position as a public servant to terrorize this group - all out of greed, lust for power and authority," wrote the prosecution in its request to remand Elsin until the end of the legal proceedings against him.
Elsin denied the bribery charges but confessed to the sexual crimes. His attorney told the court Wednesday she was surprised by the request to remand him as he was "the salt of the earth."
An inspector with the Interior Ministry's immigration police was indicted Wednesday for threatening and extorting immigrants.
Adi Elsin, 30, is an inspector and intelligence coordinator in the Population, Immigration and Border Authority's Oz enforcement unit. He was indicted along with Anil Fortado, an Indian citizen, who served as an informant for Elsin, and together the two allegedly attacked and extorted Indian labor migrants. In a number of cases, Fortado allegedly bribed Elsin to cover up his violent acts; and in another case Elsin is accused of performing indecent acts on a female foreign worker.
Elsin, a resident of Bat Yam, is charged with four counts of extortion, seven counts of fraud and breach of trust, three of accepting bribes, and making threats, aggravated battery, unjustified confinement, fraudulent receipt of goods and indecent acts.
Fortado allegedly told the foreign workers he could arrange jobs for them and their families or friends, and in return they paid him thousands of dollars, states the indictment, filed Wednesday in Tel Aviv District Court. When the workers realized Fortado had done nothing for them, the demanded their money back - and then Elsin entered the picture. He would call the workers and present himself as an immigration inspector and threaten that if they did not stop demanding their money back, he would "make things difficult for them."
In another incident described in the indictment, Fortado allegedly beat two Indian workers with a wooden pole and sprayed pepper spray in their eyes. Two days later Elsin also met the two and threatened them, demanding that one of the workers turn over his passport and cell phone.
Elsin is also accused of harassing a female foreign worker from India. After she refused his romantic advances, saying she he had family back in India, he continued to call her and pressured her to meet with him. In one case he drove her in his car to a parking lot and offered to help her in his capacity as an immigration inspector in return for sex. She refused and Elsin allegedly threatened her.
"Elsin used methods of fear and violence against the complainants, taking advantage of the fact that the complainants are part of a weak group and are not aware of their legal rights, while using his position as a public servant to terrorize this group - all out of greed, lust for power and authority," wrote the prosecution in its request to remand Elsin until the end of the legal proceedings against him.
Elsin denied the bribery charges but confessed to the sexual crimes. His attorney told the court Wednesday she was surprised by the request to remand him as he was "the salt of the earth."
12 apr 2013
Israel police hold 5 women for praying at Western Wall
Five Jewish feminists who on Thursday wore prayer shawls and prayed out loud at Jerusalem's Western Wall in defiance of a court order have been detained for questioning, a police spokeswoman said.
Some 200 women gathered at the Wall in Jerusalem's Old City to stage what has become a monthly protest by activists seeking to overturn a legal ban on them performing certain religious rituals at the sacred site, an AFP correspondent said.
Media reports this week said Jewish Agency chairman Natan Sharansky was trying to find a compromise so the women could pray as they wish without offending more traditional worshippers.
"Five (women) who were wearing a tallit, which is barred by the Supreme Court, were taken for questioning," police spokeswoman Luba Samri told AFP.
An ultra-Orthodox man who tried to set fire to a prayer pamphlet being held by one of the women was also taken for questioning, Samri said.
Wearing a tallit, a fringed prayer shawl, is one of several practices traditionally reserved for men at the sacred spot in the Old City. A court in 2003 ruled that women could not perform such rituals there as this would constitute a danger to public order.
Under Israeli law, women are allowed to pray at the ancient wall, but in silence.
The activists, who belong to a group called Women of the Wall, have been going the site to pray on the first day of every Jewish month for 25 years, sparking insults and curses from the men at the site.
At the same time, they have been waging a protracted legal struggle over their right to pray out loud, to wear prayer shawls and to hold a Torah scroll at the site.
The AFP correspondent said that some of the women at Thursday's protest were wrapped in tallits while others wore skullcaps.
Religious men tried to drown out their singing and prayers by carrying out their own rites at a volume much louder than usual.
The women say access to the Wall, the most sacred spot at which Jews can pray, is open to all streams of Judaism, including the Reform and Liberal branches which accord women an equal place alongside men.
The Jewish Agency, a body tasked with linking Israel to Jewish communities around the world, confirmed on its Facebook page Sharansky was working on a compromise plan.
"Sharansky hopes his recommendations will be accepted and will decrease the heightened tensions at the Western Wall," it said in a move aimed at making the site "a symbol of unity among the Jewish people, and not one of discord and strife".
The site is venerated by Jews as the last remnant of wall supporting the Second Temple complex, which was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.
On its other side is the compound housing the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosque, the third holiest site in Islam.
Also known to Jews as the Temple Mount, the compound is a deeply sensitive location where clashes frequently break out between Palestinian worshipers and Israeli forces
Some 200 women gathered at the Wall in Jerusalem's Old City to stage what has become a monthly protest by activists seeking to overturn a legal ban on them performing certain religious rituals at the sacred site, an AFP correspondent said.
Media reports this week said Jewish Agency chairman Natan Sharansky was trying to find a compromise so the women could pray as they wish without offending more traditional worshippers.
"Five (women) who were wearing a tallit, which is barred by the Supreme Court, were taken for questioning," police spokeswoman Luba Samri told AFP.
An ultra-Orthodox man who tried to set fire to a prayer pamphlet being held by one of the women was also taken for questioning, Samri said.
Wearing a tallit, a fringed prayer shawl, is one of several practices traditionally reserved for men at the sacred spot in the Old City. A court in 2003 ruled that women could not perform such rituals there as this would constitute a danger to public order.
Under Israeli law, women are allowed to pray at the ancient wall, but in silence.
The activists, who belong to a group called Women of the Wall, have been going the site to pray on the first day of every Jewish month for 25 years, sparking insults and curses from the men at the site.
At the same time, they have been waging a protracted legal struggle over their right to pray out loud, to wear prayer shawls and to hold a Torah scroll at the site.
The AFP correspondent said that some of the women at Thursday's protest were wrapped in tallits while others wore skullcaps.
Religious men tried to drown out their singing and prayers by carrying out their own rites at a volume much louder than usual.
The women say access to the Wall, the most sacred spot at which Jews can pray, is open to all streams of Judaism, including the Reform and Liberal branches which accord women an equal place alongside men.
The Jewish Agency, a body tasked with linking Israel to Jewish communities around the world, confirmed on its Facebook page Sharansky was working on a compromise plan.
"Sharansky hopes his recommendations will be accepted and will decrease the heightened tensions at the Western Wall," it said in a move aimed at making the site "a symbol of unity among the Jewish people, and not one of discord and strife".
The site is venerated by Jews as the last remnant of wall supporting the Second Temple complex, which was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.
On its other side is the compound housing the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosque, the third holiest site in Islam.
Also known to Jews as the Temple Mount, the compound is a deeply sensitive location where clashes frequently break out between Palestinian worshipers and Israeli forces
11 apr 2013
Mother, daughter suspected of swindling elderly out of millions
Daughter hides in court
Two arrested on suspicion of systematically targeting elderly, stealing their money, property valued at millions. Police: some victims ended up begging on streets, They ruled by fear
A mother and daughter were arrested on suspicion they exploited senior citizens, stealing their money and property to the tune of millions of shekels. Police said several of their victims ended up begging on the streets for food and money.
In on case which especially shocked detectives, an old man was forced to sign his apartment over to them; he eventually admitted himself into a psychiatric hospital to escape them. The two were arrested at the end of an undercover investigation by the Central Unit of the Tel Aviv District Police under Commander Gadi Eshel. On Thursday they appeared before a judge at the Tel Aviv District Court for a remand hearing.
The investigation spanned three months and was conducted by a team under the command of Superintendent Moshe Avital, who collected testimonies from five people, in addition to a number of professionals, including social workers and bank clerks.
Arrests began with the daughter, 28, who was employed as a caretaker to an elderly woman. In the course of the investigation it was revealed that her mother, 54, was also involved in the incidents.
The two would “spot” victims suited for their plan – elderly, alone, in need of nursing care and eligible for insurance benefits. In several instances, their victims were Holocaust survivors who received government stipends. Their method of action: the mother-daughter team would contact victims and introduce themselves as nursing caretakers. They forced one of the elderly men in their care to put his apartment in their names, and then sold it.
They took another old woman under their care to the bank several times, and forced her to withdraw hundreds of thousands of shekels. A third victim was made to transfer NIS 80,000 to them, in addition to diamonds valued at tens of thousands of shekels.
Other victims were forced to empty their retirement funds and transfer the money to the women's accounts. During the investigation, testimony was given by bank clerks who tried to dissuade the victims from doing so, but to no avail.
“They used fear and threats against the victims, who tried in every way they knew to break free of them,” said police Chief Superintendent Nisim Daudi.
Two arrested on suspicion of systematically targeting elderly, stealing their money, property valued at millions. Police: some victims ended up begging on streets, They ruled by fear
A mother and daughter were arrested on suspicion they exploited senior citizens, stealing their money and property to the tune of millions of shekels. Police said several of their victims ended up begging on the streets for food and money.
In on case which especially shocked detectives, an old man was forced to sign his apartment over to them; he eventually admitted himself into a psychiatric hospital to escape them. The two were arrested at the end of an undercover investigation by the Central Unit of the Tel Aviv District Police under Commander Gadi Eshel. On Thursday they appeared before a judge at the Tel Aviv District Court for a remand hearing.
The investigation spanned three months and was conducted by a team under the command of Superintendent Moshe Avital, who collected testimonies from five people, in addition to a number of professionals, including social workers and bank clerks.
Arrests began with the daughter, 28, who was employed as a caretaker to an elderly woman. In the course of the investigation it was revealed that her mother, 54, was also involved in the incidents.
The two would “spot” victims suited for their plan – elderly, alone, in need of nursing care and eligible for insurance benefits. In several instances, their victims were Holocaust survivors who received government stipends. Their method of action: the mother-daughter team would contact victims and introduce themselves as nursing caretakers. They forced one of the elderly men in their care to put his apartment in their names, and then sold it.
They took another old woman under their care to the bank several times, and forced her to withdraw hundreds of thousands of shekels. A third victim was made to transfer NIS 80,000 to them, in addition to diamonds valued at tens of thousands of shekels.
Other victims were forced to empty their retirement funds and transfer the money to the women's accounts. During the investigation, testimony was given by bank clerks who tried to dissuade the victims from doing so, but to no avail.
“They used fear and threats against the victims, who tried in every way they knew to break free of them,” said police Chief Superintendent Nisim Daudi.
Mother tries to drown 3-year-old son, arrested
Police apprehend mother, her wrists cut, as she tried to drown son in sea near Ashdod; woman denies allegations
A woman was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly trying to drown her 3-year-old son in the sea near Ashdod.
No harm was caused to the child. His mother will be brought for a remand hearing in Ashkelon's Magistrate's Court.
On Wednesday, police was alerted a citizen who saw a woman apparently cutting her wrists at the Ashdod beach. Upon their arrival, the police officers saw the woman, her hands bleeding, in the sea holding her son. The officers took the child and sent the woman to receive medical care.
The child is currently with his grandmother. The mother denied the allegations in her interrogation. "It's scary to think a mother can hurt her child, but we've seen similar cases before," said Ashdod Police Chief Superintendent Noam Shekel. "We'll keep working to prevent dangers such as these," he added.
In another incident on Tuesday, police interrogated a 47-year-old woman, apparently mentally ill, who arrived at the station and revealed she had attempted to drown her 13-year-old daughter and pour boiling water on her.
According to her, both attempts failed. The teen, who is staying with a foster family, confirmed her story. The mother's remand was extended until Friday.
Related stories:
A woman was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly trying to drown her 3-year-old son in the sea near Ashdod.
No harm was caused to the child. His mother will be brought for a remand hearing in Ashkelon's Magistrate's Court.
On Wednesday, police was alerted a citizen who saw a woman apparently cutting her wrists at the Ashdod beach. Upon their arrival, the police officers saw the woman, her hands bleeding, in the sea holding her son. The officers took the child and sent the woman to receive medical care.
The child is currently with his grandmother. The mother denied the allegations in her interrogation. "It's scary to think a mother can hurt her child, but we've seen similar cases before," said Ashdod Police Chief Superintendent Noam Shekel. "We'll keep working to prevent dangers such as these," he added.
In another incident on Tuesday, police interrogated a 47-year-old woman, apparently mentally ill, who arrived at the station and revealed she had attempted to drown her 13-year-old daughter and pour boiling water on her.
According to her, both attempts failed. The teen, who is staying with a foster family, confirmed her story. The mother's remand was extended until Friday.
Related stories:
10 apr 2013
5 suspected of racist attack against Ethiopians
Police believe five young men from south Tel Aviv beat two Israelis of Ethiopian descent thinking they were migrants. Officers say they have no doubt assaults were racially-motivated
Five youngsters from south Tel Aviv were arrested on suspicion they assaulted two Israelis of Ethiopian descent thinking they were migrants. Police suspect the motive for the assaults was racist.
The investigation was launched after one of the victims filed a complaint claiming he was beaten and robbed of his mobile phone.
According to police, the five men attacked the victim having noticed the color of his skin, beat him with a blunt object and fled the scene. The victim was rushed to the Edith Wolfson Medical Center in Holon.
During questioning, it was discovered that the five were also involved in assaults against another Ethiopian man as well as an Eritrean migrant.
The two other victims did not require medical attention. Police sources said they have no doubt that the attacks were racially-motivated.
Four of the suspects, two teens aged 17, a 19-year-old and a 21-year-old, were arrested on Tuesday. They were remanded in custody for two days. The fifth suspect, aged 19, was arrested Wednesday.
Five youngsters from south Tel Aviv were arrested on suspicion they assaulted two Israelis of Ethiopian descent thinking they were migrants. Police suspect the motive for the assaults was racist.
The investigation was launched after one of the victims filed a complaint claiming he was beaten and robbed of his mobile phone.
According to police, the five men attacked the victim having noticed the color of his skin, beat him with a blunt object and fled the scene. The victim was rushed to the Edith Wolfson Medical Center in Holon.
During questioning, it was discovered that the five were also involved in assaults against another Ethiopian man as well as an Eritrean migrant.
The two other victims did not require medical attention. Police sources said they have no doubt that the attacks were racially-motivated.
Four of the suspects, two teens aged 17, a 19-year-old and a 21-year-old, were arrested on Tuesday. They were remanded in custody for two days. The fifth suspect, aged 19, was arrested Wednesday.
Woman suspected of trying to drown 13-year-old daughter
Police launch investigation after woman turns herself in, suspect further abuse
A Jerusalem resident was arrested Tuesday on suspicion she tried to drown her thirteen-year-old daughter in the sea.
Police suspect that earlier this week the woman, a 47-year-old divorced mother of two, drove her daughter to a beach in Tel Aviv where she tried to drown her. The teen managed to escape.
It is also suspected that on a different occasion the mother poured boiling water on the girl.
The investigation was launched after the woman turned herself in. The daughter, who lives with a foster family, confirmed her mother's story.
The suspect was remanded in custody for four days and sent for a psychiatric evaluation.
The woman's attorney said in response, "It is yet unclear whether the suspicions are accurate. It is important to note that she sought the police out in order to get help."
Related stories:
A Jerusalem resident was arrested Tuesday on suspicion she tried to drown her thirteen-year-old daughter in the sea.
Police suspect that earlier this week the woman, a 47-year-old divorced mother of two, drove her daughter to a beach in Tel Aviv where she tried to drown her. The teen managed to escape.
It is also suspected that on a different occasion the mother poured boiling water on the girl.
The investigation was launched after the woman turned herself in. The daughter, who lives with a foster family, confirmed her mother's story.
The suspect was remanded in custody for four days and sent for a psychiatric evaluation.
The woman's attorney said in response, "It is yet unclear whether the suspicions are accurate. It is important to note that she sought the police out in order to get help."
Related stories:
9 apr 2013
Jewish terrorist Jack Teitel gets 2 life sentences
Teitel convicted of two counts of first degree murder of Palestinians; two counts attempted murder; illegal possession of firearm; incitement to violence. Victim's relative: 'He got what he deserved'
"Jewish terrorist" Jack (Yakov) Teitel, who was convicted of two counts of first degree murder of two Palestinians, in addition to a long list other violent offences, was sentenced Tuesday to two life sentences and an additional 30 years in jail by a Jerusalem District Court. Before sentencing Teitel claimed he did not regret his actions.
The judges rejected the defense's request for a reduced sentence on the basis of Teitel's mental state and, in addition, the court ruled that Teitel will pay the two victims' families NIS 180,000 (roughly $50,000) each in compensation; he was also ordered to pay two people he was convicted of attempting to murder NIS 150,000 (roughly $41,000) each in damages.
Teitel, a US immigrant, confessed to the killings, which he committed while visiting as a tourist. He was convicted in January of killing a Palestinian taxi driver in Jerusalem and a shepherd near the West Bank city of Hebron.
Teitel, who received the infamous nickname the "Jewish terrorist," was charged with 10 different offences, the most severe of which were two counts of murder in the first degree, two counts of attempted murder, illegal possession and assembling of a firearm and incitement to violence.
During sentencing, Judges Zvi Segal, Moshe Drori and Moshe Cohen ruled that his mental condition had no influence on his actions and hence he would be held fully accountable for them.
"There is no doubt in our hearts that there is no causal link between his actions and his mental condition. Hence, we have decided to convict him of the actions attributed to him," the judges said in the ruling.
Hatred in the first degree
The first murder for which Teitel was convicted took place in 1997. The deceased, Samir Akram Balbisi, was working at the time as a taxi driver, offered to drive Teitel to wherever he pleased.
Teitel agreed, entered Balbisi's vehicle and then ordered the Palestinian to drive him to a certain location. When he saw that Balbisi's eyes were on the road he shot him point blank in the head. Three months later Teitel decided to kill again. He searched for a victim in the village of Susya and found a shepherd, Issa Jabarin. As Jabarin passed Teital he fired two shots, both from short range, in Jabarin's direction, hitting him in the chest.
Teital was also convicted of incitement to violence and terror after he printed posters calling for the murder of members of the LGBT community, promising NIS 20,000 (roughly $5,500) for the person willing to kill "Sodom and Gomorra." He was also charged with planting an explosive device inside a plant near the entrance to Prof. Zeev Sternhell's house in September 2008.
Sternhell, a world renowned professor of political science, an Israel Prize laureate and a peace activist, was wounded in his leg when the device exploded. He was additionally charged with the attempted murder of the youth Ami Ortiz in 2008. Teitel placed an explosive device inside a gift basket intended for the boy's father, David Ortiz, with the intent of killing him, because the man served as the head of the messianic Jewish community. The family's maid unknowingly took the booby trapped gift basket into the house, leading the boy to open it, prompting the bomb to go off. The boy was severely wounded throughout his body.
In response to the sentence, Prof. Zeev Sternhell said: "The ruling is sign to all those who think that this is the way to get results- Teitel or his friends."
Regarding compensation, Prof. Sternhell said: "I don't want any damages from this man, and I don't need anything. I happy that I was only lightly wounded."
According to Teitel, Prof. Sternhell, who is known for his outspoken left wing opinions, gained his attention after he allegedly called for the death of settlers.
Prof. Sternhell said, "The ruling is just, important, deterring and a sign that the courts will not sit quietly in the face of politically and ideologically motivated murders. This ruling has significance exceeding the bounds of this specific case. Teitel is not just another lunatic. He is a result of his surroundings.
"He actualized what others want to do themselves, many who wanted to do the same to me. I know this because of the letters and phone calls I received during that time. This violence needs to be cut off at the stem, even that which currently is rampant in the occupied territories. If not, this violence will seep into every aspect of our society."
A number of the victims' relatives arrived at the court for the sentencing.
Ibrahim Balbisi, the father of Akram Balbisi, whom Teitel murdered, said upon hearing the sentence: "There is justice. It hurts my heart every day my son is not with us. Day and night we cannot sleep, our thoughts always wander to Akram. I am happy the sentence sends this killer to jail for the rest of his life." Leah Ortiz, Ami's mother, said: "We are very happy that Teitel received many years behind bars. He said he is proud of what he did and would do it again; he is a dangerous man, full of hate – jail is where he belongs."
Yossi Greiber, Ortiz's lawyer, expressed anger at the fact that the State refuses to recognize the family as a victim of a terror attack and afford them the financial assistance such victims enjoy. "We are left with the pain and wounds. They boy is 20 years old and will require medical treatment for the rest of his life. Despite the fact that the background of the attack is identical to that of the deaths of the Palestinians, as the court itself claimed, the State refuses to grant us assistance," the lawyer said.
Lawyers Asher Ohayon and Michael Ironi, who represented Teitel, claimed the court ignored the complexity of their client's mental state, opting for the easy solution. "Eight doctors, some who work for the State, think differently from the court (about Teitel's mental condition), but instead of dealing with this issue the court choose to ignore it.
Teitel didn’t kill because of hatred, he has visions, he received orders which he felt he had to follow. And these resulted from a mental condition that had developed early in his childhood," one of the lawyers said. Sagi Ofir, for the prosecution, said: "The criminal was sent to jail for the rest of his life, as he deserved. The court affirmed the message towards those who turn to terror. We can only hope this will serve as a deterrent to those who wish to engage in terror activities."
"Jewish terrorist" Jack (Yakov) Teitel, who was convicted of two counts of first degree murder of two Palestinians, in addition to a long list other violent offences, was sentenced Tuesday to two life sentences and an additional 30 years in jail by a Jerusalem District Court. Before sentencing Teitel claimed he did not regret his actions.
The judges rejected the defense's request for a reduced sentence on the basis of Teitel's mental state and, in addition, the court ruled that Teitel will pay the two victims' families NIS 180,000 (roughly $50,000) each in compensation; he was also ordered to pay two people he was convicted of attempting to murder NIS 150,000 (roughly $41,000) each in damages.
Teitel, a US immigrant, confessed to the killings, which he committed while visiting as a tourist. He was convicted in January of killing a Palestinian taxi driver in Jerusalem and a shepherd near the West Bank city of Hebron.
Teitel, who received the infamous nickname the "Jewish terrorist," was charged with 10 different offences, the most severe of which were two counts of murder in the first degree, two counts of attempted murder, illegal possession and assembling of a firearm and incitement to violence.
During sentencing, Judges Zvi Segal, Moshe Drori and Moshe Cohen ruled that his mental condition had no influence on his actions and hence he would be held fully accountable for them.
"There is no doubt in our hearts that there is no causal link between his actions and his mental condition. Hence, we have decided to convict him of the actions attributed to him," the judges said in the ruling.
Hatred in the first degree
The first murder for which Teitel was convicted took place in 1997. The deceased, Samir Akram Balbisi, was working at the time as a taxi driver, offered to drive Teitel to wherever he pleased.
Teitel agreed, entered Balbisi's vehicle and then ordered the Palestinian to drive him to a certain location. When he saw that Balbisi's eyes were on the road he shot him point blank in the head. Three months later Teitel decided to kill again. He searched for a victim in the village of Susya and found a shepherd, Issa Jabarin. As Jabarin passed Teital he fired two shots, both from short range, in Jabarin's direction, hitting him in the chest.
Teital was also convicted of incitement to violence and terror after he printed posters calling for the murder of members of the LGBT community, promising NIS 20,000 (roughly $5,500) for the person willing to kill "Sodom and Gomorra." He was also charged with planting an explosive device inside a plant near the entrance to Prof. Zeev Sternhell's house in September 2008.
Sternhell, a world renowned professor of political science, an Israel Prize laureate and a peace activist, was wounded in his leg when the device exploded. He was additionally charged with the attempted murder of the youth Ami Ortiz in 2008. Teitel placed an explosive device inside a gift basket intended for the boy's father, David Ortiz, with the intent of killing him, because the man served as the head of the messianic Jewish community. The family's maid unknowingly took the booby trapped gift basket into the house, leading the boy to open it, prompting the bomb to go off. The boy was severely wounded throughout his body.
In response to the sentence, Prof. Zeev Sternhell said: "The ruling is sign to all those who think that this is the way to get results- Teitel or his friends."
Regarding compensation, Prof. Sternhell said: "I don't want any damages from this man, and I don't need anything. I happy that I was only lightly wounded."
According to Teitel, Prof. Sternhell, who is known for his outspoken left wing opinions, gained his attention after he allegedly called for the death of settlers.
Prof. Sternhell said, "The ruling is just, important, deterring and a sign that the courts will not sit quietly in the face of politically and ideologically motivated murders. This ruling has significance exceeding the bounds of this specific case. Teitel is not just another lunatic. He is a result of his surroundings.
"He actualized what others want to do themselves, many who wanted to do the same to me. I know this because of the letters and phone calls I received during that time. This violence needs to be cut off at the stem, even that which currently is rampant in the occupied territories. If not, this violence will seep into every aspect of our society."
A number of the victims' relatives arrived at the court for the sentencing.
Ibrahim Balbisi, the father of Akram Balbisi, whom Teitel murdered, said upon hearing the sentence: "There is justice. It hurts my heart every day my son is not with us. Day and night we cannot sleep, our thoughts always wander to Akram. I am happy the sentence sends this killer to jail for the rest of his life." Leah Ortiz, Ami's mother, said: "We are very happy that Teitel received many years behind bars. He said he is proud of what he did and would do it again; he is a dangerous man, full of hate – jail is where he belongs."
Yossi Greiber, Ortiz's lawyer, expressed anger at the fact that the State refuses to recognize the family as a victim of a terror attack and afford them the financial assistance such victims enjoy. "We are left with the pain and wounds. They boy is 20 years old and will require medical treatment for the rest of his life. Despite the fact that the background of the attack is identical to that of the deaths of the Palestinians, as the court itself claimed, the State refuses to grant us assistance," the lawyer said.
Lawyers Asher Ohayon and Michael Ironi, who represented Teitel, claimed the court ignored the complexity of their client's mental state, opting for the easy solution. "Eight doctors, some who work for the State, think differently from the court (about Teitel's mental condition), but instead of dealing with this issue the court choose to ignore it.
Teitel didn’t kill because of hatred, he has visions, he received orders which he felt he had to follow. And these resulted from a mental condition that had developed early in his childhood," one of the lawyers said. Sagi Ofir, for the prosecution, said: "The criminal was sent to jail for the rest of his life, as he deserved. The court affirmed the message towards those who turn to terror. We can only hope this will serve as a deterrent to those who wish to engage in terror activities."
Suspicion: School janitor sexually assaulted 1st grader
Boy told classmate janitor offered him candy, then touched his body and kissed him; parents of students at school livid, say principal should have informed them of incident sooner
The father of a first-grader at a public school in Ramat Hasharon filed a police complaint claiming his son was sexually assaulted before the Passover holiday by a janitor at the school.
Police have launched an investigation into the allegations, while the janitor has been dismissed by the school.
The alleged incident took place before the Passover vacation, and many parents of children who attend the school expressed their anger over the school principal's decision not to report the incident until the beginning of the week.
According to what is know so far, the student told a classmate that the janitor offered him candy, and then led him to one of the rooms in the school, where he touched his body and kissed him. The classmate told her parents, who informed the boy's parents of the incident.
A parent of a student who attends the school told Ynet that the principal "should not have tried to hide the incident from the parents. On the contrary, she should have informed us so we would be alert. What happened was a fiasco."
The Education Ministry said the principal "acted appropriately and reported the alleged incident to a welfare officer, the police and the municipality as soon as she heard about it. Ministry guidelines do not obligate school management to inform all the parents of such incidents."
Related stories:
The father of a first-grader at a public school in Ramat Hasharon filed a police complaint claiming his son was sexually assaulted before the Passover holiday by a janitor at the school.
Police have launched an investigation into the allegations, while the janitor has been dismissed by the school.
The alleged incident took place before the Passover vacation, and many parents of children who attend the school expressed their anger over the school principal's decision not to report the incident until the beginning of the week.
According to what is know so far, the student told a classmate that the janitor offered him candy, and then led him to one of the rooms in the school, where he touched his body and kissed him. The classmate told her parents, who informed the boy's parents of the incident.
A parent of a student who attends the school told Ynet that the principal "should not have tried to hide the incident from the parents. On the contrary, she should have informed us so we would be alert. What happened was a fiasco."
The Education Ministry said the principal "acted appropriately and reported the alleged incident to a welfare officer, the police and the municipality as soon as she heard about it. Ministry guidelines do not obligate school management to inform all the parents of such incidents."
Related stories:
Suspicion: 74-year-old woman murdered in her Beersheba home
Signs of violence, laceration in throat area found on woman's body. Neighbor: Fairly quiet area
The body of a 74-year-old woman was found Tuesday evening at the entrance to her home in Beersheba's Nahal Ashan neighborhood. Signs of violence were found on the upper part of the body, as was a laceration in the throat area.
Magen David Adom paramedics who arrived at the scene on Shmuel Rodensky Street pronounced the woman's death.
At 5:39 pm police received a report of a suspected murder, and large Beersheba police forces, as well as criminal forensics lab technicians, were alerted to the scene.
The woman lived in a private home near her family. "Just yesterday I saw her and we spoke," a neighbor said. "Our street is fairly quiet. We've never had anything like this happen before." Major General Tomer Badash, commander of the Beersheba police station, said the circumstances of the woman's death remain unclear.
On Thursday a 45-year-old foreign worker from Moldova was murdered in an apartment on Sinai Street in Ashkelon.
A 51-year-old security guard was arrested on suspicion of murdering the woman, who worked as his mother's caretaker. A day earlier 26-year-old Rehovot resident Yisrael Amar was shot to death on the city's main avenue. Another person sustained injuries to his leg in the shooting. The assailants fled the scene and are still at large.
The body of a 74-year-old woman was found Tuesday evening at the entrance to her home in Beersheba's Nahal Ashan neighborhood. Signs of violence were found on the upper part of the body, as was a laceration in the throat area.
Magen David Adom paramedics who arrived at the scene on Shmuel Rodensky Street pronounced the woman's death.
At 5:39 pm police received a report of a suspected murder, and large Beersheba police forces, as well as criminal forensics lab technicians, were alerted to the scene.
The woman lived in a private home near her family. "Just yesterday I saw her and we spoke," a neighbor said. "Our street is fairly quiet. We've never had anything like this happen before." Major General Tomer Badash, commander of the Beersheba police station, said the circumstances of the woman's death remain unclear.
On Thursday a 45-year-old foreign worker from Moldova was murdered in an apartment on Sinai Street in Ashkelon.
A 51-year-old security guard was arrested on suspicion of murdering the woman, who worked as his mother's caretaker. A day earlier 26-year-old Rehovot resident Yisrael Amar was shot to death on the city's main avenue. Another person sustained injuries to his leg in the shooting. The assailants fled the scene and are still at large.
