29 apr 2015
The Jerusalem District Court filed indictments Tuesday against a 19-year-old and two minors from the settlement of Bat Ayin for alleged attacks on Palestinians, Israeli media reported.
The three were charged with racially motivated and aggravated assault, assault on a public servant, racially motivated willful damage to property and other charges, Israeli news source Haaretz said, identifying the perpetrators as Or Shahar, 19, and two minors aged 16 and 17.
The indictment comes amid alleged efforts by Israeli authorities to reverse the current system of impunity for settler violence in the occupied East Jerusalem and West Bank.
Such incidents are often referred to as "price-tag" attacks, acts of violence or vandalism on Palestinians and their property or Israeli military targets carried out in retribution for perceived action by the Israeli government against the settlement enterprise. Following price-tag attacks on Vatican-owned offices in occupied East Jerusalem in May 2014, Israeli Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch said the government planned to begin using administrative detention against suspected extremists.
Although police had made scores of arrests, there had been few successful prosecutions for price-tag attacks and the government was facing mounting pressure to authorize the Shin Bet internal security agency to step in. The first conviction for a price-tag attack was carried out in December 2014, when two settlers were sentenced to 30 months in prison for setting fire to two Palestinian vehicles.
The US State Department's 2013 Country Reports on Terrorism included price-tag attacks for the first time, citing UN figures of some "399 attacks by extremist Israeli settlers that resulted in Palestinian injuries or property damage. "Such attacks were "largely unprosecuted," it said.
Earlier this month the Jerusalem District Court accepted a plea bargain in the case of four teenage Israelis who admitted to setting fire to a Palestinian cafe near Hebron, despite pledges by Israel's Justice Ministry to combat anti-Palestinian hate crime. The three indicted Tuesday allegedly assaulted a Palestinian worker who came to the Bat Ayin settlement in the occupied West Bank to deliver merchandise that had been ordered from him.
They sprayed tear gas at the man and a soldier who tried to help the him, and beat the man with wooden planks, Haaretz reported. The Bat Ayin settlers also threw stones at a Palestinian truck a week afterwards, and cut down 35 olive trees belonging to Palestinians in May 2014, spray-painting the words "Arabs are thieves" in the orchard. The damage was estimated at 30,000 shekels (about $7,700).
According to Israeli media, the prosecution asked the court to extend the remand of the three until the end of proceedings.
The three were charged with racially motivated and aggravated assault, assault on a public servant, racially motivated willful damage to property and other charges, Israeli news source Haaretz said, identifying the perpetrators as Or Shahar, 19, and two minors aged 16 and 17.
The indictment comes amid alleged efforts by Israeli authorities to reverse the current system of impunity for settler violence in the occupied East Jerusalem and West Bank.
Such incidents are often referred to as "price-tag" attacks, acts of violence or vandalism on Palestinians and their property or Israeli military targets carried out in retribution for perceived action by the Israeli government against the settlement enterprise. Following price-tag attacks on Vatican-owned offices in occupied East Jerusalem in May 2014, Israeli Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch said the government planned to begin using administrative detention against suspected extremists.
Although police had made scores of arrests, there had been few successful prosecutions for price-tag attacks and the government was facing mounting pressure to authorize the Shin Bet internal security agency to step in. The first conviction for a price-tag attack was carried out in December 2014, when two settlers were sentenced to 30 months in prison for setting fire to two Palestinian vehicles.
The US State Department's 2013 Country Reports on Terrorism included price-tag attacks for the first time, citing UN figures of some "399 attacks by extremist Israeli settlers that resulted in Palestinian injuries or property damage. "Such attacks were "largely unprosecuted," it said.
Earlier this month the Jerusalem District Court accepted a plea bargain in the case of four teenage Israelis who admitted to setting fire to a Palestinian cafe near Hebron, despite pledges by Israel's Justice Ministry to combat anti-Palestinian hate crime. The three indicted Tuesday allegedly assaulted a Palestinian worker who came to the Bat Ayin settlement in the occupied West Bank to deliver merchandise that had been ordered from him.
They sprayed tear gas at the man and a soldier who tried to help the him, and beat the man with wooden planks, Haaretz reported. The Bat Ayin settlers also threw stones at a Palestinian truck a week afterwards, and cut down 35 olive trees belonging to Palestinians in May 2014, spray-painting the words "Arabs are thieves" in the orchard. The damage was estimated at 30,000 shekels (about $7,700).
According to Israeli media, the prosecution asked the court to extend the remand of the three until the end of proceedings.
Still from video
Video: Jerusalem woman arrested for allegedly setting gas tank of stranger's car on fire while his brother was in the back seat.
A 35-year-old woman was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of setting fire to a car belonging to a man who refused to give her a cigarette.
The incident occurred in the middle of the day at a gas station in Jerusalem, while the driver's brother sat in the car. Fortunately, no one was hurt.
Security footage led to the apprehension and arrest of the suspect soon after the crime. She denied the accusation during questioning, saying she had been mistaken for someone else.
The owner of the vehicle told Ynet on Wednesday morning that he had seen the woman around his workplace, and that she occasionally asks people from money. "I told investigators that I pity her a bit, because it looks like she was in serious distress," he said.
Video: Jerusalem woman arrested for allegedly setting gas tank of stranger's car on fire while his brother was in the back seat.
A 35-year-old woman was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of setting fire to a car belonging to a man who refused to give her a cigarette.
The incident occurred in the middle of the day at a gas station in Jerusalem, while the driver's brother sat in the car. Fortunately, no one was hurt.
Security footage led to the apprehension and arrest of the suspect soon after the crime. She denied the accusation during questioning, saying she had been mistaken for someone else.
The owner of the vehicle told Ynet on Wednesday morning that he had seen the woman around his workplace, and that she occasionally asks people from money. "I told investigators that I pity her a bit, because it looks like she was in serious distress," he said.
28 apr 2015
Archive Photo
Palestinian medical sources have reported that a child was moderately injured, in Yatta town, south of the southern West Bank city of Hebron, after being hit by an Israeli settler’s car.
The sources said the Shehda Mahmoud al-‘Amour, five years of age, was struck in Khallet al-Mayya area, in Yatta town, south of Hebron.
The Israeli settler tried to drive away after wounding the child, but local residents managed to stop him, before the army arrived at the scene.
Red Crescent medics provided the wounded child with the urgently needed treatment, before he was moved to an Israeli hospital for further treatment.
There have been hundreds of "hit and run" incidents that largely went uninvestigated by the Israeli authorities, in different parts of the occupied West Bank, even though many of those incidents led to fatalities.
One of those incidents is the case of Enas Dar Khalil, five years of age, who was killed in 2014, and the settler who killed her fled the scene.
Related:
Palestinian Injured After Being Rammed By An Israeli Car In Hebron
Israeli Settler Runs Over Palestinian Child in Tulkarem
Child Seriously Injured After Being Struck By Settler’s Car In Hebron
Israeli Settler Runs Over Hebron Child With Car
Child Injured After Being Rammed By Settler’s Car Near Hebron
Bethlehem Area: 3 Palestinian Youth Kidnapped, Settler Runs Over Teen
Palestinian Child Dies of Wounds Inflicted by Settler Car
Another Palestinian Hit by Israeli Settler Car
Yet Another Settler Hit and Run on Hebron Child
Palestinian medical sources have reported that a child was moderately injured, in Yatta town, south of the southern West Bank city of Hebron, after being hit by an Israeli settler’s car.
The sources said the Shehda Mahmoud al-‘Amour, five years of age, was struck in Khallet al-Mayya area, in Yatta town, south of Hebron.
The Israeli settler tried to drive away after wounding the child, but local residents managed to stop him, before the army arrived at the scene.
Red Crescent medics provided the wounded child with the urgently needed treatment, before he was moved to an Israeli hospital for further treatment.
There have been hundreds of "hit and run" incidents that largely went uninvestigated by the Israeli authorities, in different parts of the occupied West Bank, even though many of those incidents led to fatalities.
One of those incidents is the case of Enas Dar Khalil, five years of age, who was killed in 2014, and the settler who killed her fled the scene.
Related:
Palestinian Injured After Being Rammed By An Israeli Car In Hebron
Israeli Settler Runs Over Palestinian Child in Tulkarem
Child Seriously Injured After Being Struck By Settler’s Car In Hebron
Israeli Settler Runs Over Hebron Child With Car
Child Injured After Being Rammed By Settler’s Car Near Hebron
Bethlehem Area: 3 Palestinian Youth Kidnapped, Settler Runs Over Teen
Palestinian Child Dies of Wounds Inflicted by Settler Car
Another Palestinian Hit by Israeli Settler Car
Yet Another Settler Hit and Run on Hebron Child
26 apr 2015
IDF say two soldiers indicted on suspicion they took about $605 from Palestinian's home in Gaza, while another accused of helping them during summer war with Hamas; additional cases of wrongful death of Palestinian being probed by IDF.
Three Golani soldiers have been accused on Sunday of stealing NIS 2,420 (roughly $605) from a home they took over in Gaza City's Saja'iyya neighborhood during Operation Protective Edge last summer.
The military said it tried to find the owner of the building and that the alleged looting took place in an area that saw some of the heaviest fighting in the 50-day Operation Protective Edge.
Two of three, who were removed from their combat positions after the theft was discovered during the operation, have also been indicted by the Military Prosecutor for obstruction of justice. The indictment was filed at the Haifa Military Court last week. During the investigation, the Military Prosecutor's Office tried unsuccessfully to recruit one of the accused as a state witness, a move that later turned out to be unnecessary.
The soldiers' commanders learned of the theft shortly after it occurred, and the battalion commander was quick to report the crime to military police. The stolen money was returned.
Black Friday
The Military Prosecutor's Office is still examining cases in which innocent civilian Palestinians were killed from IDF fire during the operation, and Chief Military Advocate General Danny Efroni is expected to decide whether to open criminal investigations into the incidents.
The most controversial case on Efroni's desk is the fighting on "Rafah's Black Friday" on August 1, 2014, when the IDF bombarded Rafah after a Hamas cell violated a humanitarian ceasefire, killing three soldiers and seizing the body of one of them - Hadar Goldin.
The Palestinians first claimed 150 people were killed in IDF bombardments that day and later amended the number to some 70. An IDF investigation found only about 40, roughly half of them armed terrorists.
Army officials said it is unlikely a criminal investigation will be launched against Givati commanders leading the fighting in Rafah, noting the firepower used was proportional and appropriate to the severity of the incident.
Meanwhile, investigations have also been opened in additional cases of criminal misconduct which resulted in the death of innocent Palestinians, the most prominent one case in which an IDF shelling of a UNRWA school which killed some 20 Palestinians. Another case in which a bound Palestinian was beaten, and another in which soldiers fired on a Palestinian ambulance, are also being investigated.
Operation Protective Edge was the third and bloodiest round of fighting since late 2008 between Israel and the Islamic terror group Hamas that rules Gaza. Some 2,200 people were killed on the Palestinian side and 72 on the Israeli side.
The lawyer for one of the three charged with looting said in response that the evidence does not unequivocally support the indictment: "This is a good soldier with no past disciplinary record who was sent to defend his country and risked his life. The decision to charge him is bizarre in light of the fact that he was unaware he was committing an offense at the time."
Three Golani soldiers have been accused on Sunday of stealing NIS 2,420 (roughly $605) from a home they took over in Gaza City's Saja'iyya neighborhood during Operation Protective Edge last summer.
The military said it tried to find the owner of the building and that the alleged looting took place in an area that saw some of the heaviest fighting in the 50-day Operation Protective Edge.
Two of three, who were removed from their combat positions after the theft was discovered during the operation, have also been indicted by the Military Prosecutor for obstruction of justice. The indictment was filed at the Haifa Military Court last week. During the investigation, the Military Prosecutor's Office tried unsuccessfully to recruit one of the accused as a state witness, a move that later turned out to be unnecessary.
The soldiers' commanders learned of the theft shortly after it occurred, and the battalion commander was quick to report the crime to military police. The stolen money was returned.
Black Friday
The Military Prosecutor's Office is still examining cases in which innocent civilian Palestinians were killed from IDF fire during the operation, and Chief Military Advocate General Danny Efroni is expected to decide whether to open criminal investigations into the incidents.
The most controversial case on Efroni's desk is the fighting on "Rafah's Black Friday" on August 1, 2014, when the IDF bombarded Rafah after a Hamas cell violated a humanitarian ceasefire, killing three soldiers and seizing the body of one of them - Hadar Goldin.
The Palestinians first claimed 150 people were killed in IDF bombardments that day and later amended the number to some 70. An IDF investigation found only about 40, roughly half of them armed terrorists.
Army officials said it is unlikely a criminal investigation will be launched against Givati commanders leading the fighting in Rafah, noting the firepower used was proportional and appropriate to the severity of the incident.
Meanwhile, investigations have also been opened in additional cases of criminal misconduct which resulted in the death of innocent Palestinians, the most prominent one case in which an IDF shelling of a UNRWA school which killed some 20 Palestinians. Another case in which a bound Palestinian was beaten, and another in which soldiers fired on a Palestinian ambulance, are also being investigated.
Operation Protective Edge was the third and bloodiest round of fighting since late 2008 between Israel and the Islamic terror group Hamas that rules Gaza. Some 2,200 people were killed on the Palestinian side and 72 on the Israeli side.
The lawyer for one of the three charged with looting said in response that the evidence does not unequivocally support the indictment: "This is a good soldier with no past disciplinary record who was sent to defend his country and risked his life. The decision to charge him is bizarre in light of the fact that he was unaware he was committing an offense at the time."
21 apr 2015
Palestinian teen, who was burned alive by Jewish settlers, was added to the Victims of Acts of Terror Memorial at Mount Herzl; 'This is a great initiative to honor my son, but I'm more interested in justice,' says father.
Mohammed Abu Khdeir, the Palestinian teenager from East Jerusalem who was kidnapped and murdered by Jewish settlers last summer, has been added to the Victims of Acts of Terror Memorial at Mount Herzl, Israel Radio reported on Tuesday morning.
His name was also added to the list of terror victims in the government-run website. The Defense Ministry recognized Abu Khdeir as a victim of "hostile action" in July, some two weeks after he was murdered.
Hussein Abu Khdeir, Mohammed's father, told Ynet that "this is a great initiative meant to honor my son, but I'm more interested with something else entirely: For the court to do justice with those who burned my son alive, and sentence them to the appropriate punishment." Hussein was referring to the fact defense lawyers for some of the accused plan to claim their clients are mentally unfit to stand trial.
"My son is gone, my son was burned and we were burned with him. I want justice and not honor. What good is it going to do me if they carve his name in stone?" Hussein said. Mohammed Abu Khdeir, 16, was murdered shortly after the bodies of three Israeli teens - Gil-Ad Shaer, Naftali Frenkel and Eyal Yifrach - were discovered after they were kidnapped and murdered near Hebron.
The accused, 30-year-old Yosef Ben-David and two minors, kidnapped Abu Khdeir from the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Shuafat and burned him alive at the Jerusalem Forest. Hussein said that since the murder early on the morning of July 2, 2014, members of the family have been in a bad state. "Mohammed's mother, his brothers and sisters, and I, can't stop experiencing hardships. Our entire life is gone. We have mental problems in the family since it happened," he said.
"I don't forget for a moment that at court, my son's murderers look at me and laugh and enjoy themselves. How would you feel if someone burned your son alive and smiled at court? It made me and his mother sick. We can't leave the house. Every night I think about how he was burned," he added.
Mohammed Abu Khdeir removed from terror memorial after family's request
Palestinian teen, who was burned alive by Jewish settlers, was added to the Victims of Acts of Terror Memorial at Mount Herzl; 'This is a great initiative to honor my son, but I'm more interested in justice,' says father.
The National Insurance Institute removed the name of Mohammed Abu Khdeir from the Victims of Acts of Terror Memorial at Mount Herzl on Tuesday, following a request by his family. The Khdeir family made their request earlier in the day after discovering the addition of the name from media outlets.
Israel Radio reported on Tuesday morning that the name of Khdeir, the Palestinian teenager from East Jerusalem who was kidnapped and murdered by Jewish settlers last summer, was added to the Victims of Acts of Terror Memorial at Mount Herzl,.
His name was also added to the list of terror victims in the government-run website. The Defense Ministry recognized Abu Khdeir as a victim of "hostile action" in July, some two weeks after he was murdered.
Hussein Abu Khdeir, Mohammed's father, told Ynet that "this is a great initiative meant to honor my son, but I'm more interested with something else entirely: For the court to do justice with those who burned my son alive, and sentence them to the appropriate punishment." Hussein was referring to the fact defense lawyers for some of the accused plan to claim their clients are mentally unfit to stand trial.
"My son is gone, my son was burned and we were burned with him. I want justice and not honor. What good is it going to do me if they carve his name in stone?" Hussein said. Mohammed Abu Khdeir, 16, was murdered shortly after the bodies of three Israeli teens - Gil-Ad Shaer, Naftali Frenkel and Eyal Yifrach - were discovered after they were kidnapped and murdered near Hebron.
The accused, 30-year-old Yosef Ben-David and two minors, kidnapped Abu Khdeir from the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Shuafat and burned him alive at the Jerusalem Forest. Hussein said that since the murder early on the morning of July 2, 2014, members of the family have been in a bad state. "Mohammed's mother, his brothers and sisters, and I, can't stop experiencing hardships. Our entire life is gone. We have mental problems in the family since it happened," he said.
"I don't forget for a moment that at court, my son's murderers look at me and laugh and enjoy themselves. How would you feel if someone burned your son alive and smiled at court? It made me and his mother sick. We can't leave the house. Every night I think about how he was burned," he added.
Mohammed Abu Khdeir, the Palestinian teenager from East Jerusalem who was kidnapped and murdered by Jewish settlers last summer, has been added to the Victims of Acts of Terror Memorial at Mount Herzl, Israel Radio reported on Tuesday morning.
His name was also added to the list of terror victims in the government-run website. The Defense Ministry recognized Abu Khdeir as a victim of "hostile action" in July, some two weeks after he was murdered.
Hussein Abu Khdeir, Mohammed's father, told Ynet that "this is a great initiative meant to honor my son, but I'm more interested with something else entirely: For the court to do justice with those who burned my son alive, and sentence them to the appropriate punishment." Hussein was referring to the fact defense lawyers for some of the accused plan to claim their clients are mentally unfit to stand trial.
"My son is gone, my son was burned and we were burned with him. I want justice and not honor. What good is it going to do me if they carve his name in stone?" Hussein said. Mohammed Abu Khdeir, 16, was murdered shortly after the bodies of three Israeli teens - Gil-Ad Shaer, Naftali Frenkel and Eyal Yifrach - were discovered after they were kidnapped and murdered near Hebron.
The accused, 30-year-old Yosef Ben-David and two minors, kidnapped Abu Khdeir from the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Shuafat and burned him alive at the Jerusalem Forest. Hussein said that since the murder early on the morning of July 2, 2014, members of the family have been in a bad state. "Mohammed's mother, his brothers and sisters, and I, can't stop experiencing hardships. Our entire life is gone. We have mental problems in the family since it happened," he said.
"I don't forget for a moment that at court, my son's murderers look at me and laugh and enjoy themselves. How would you feel if someone burned your son alive and smiled at court? It made me and his mother sick. We can't leave the house. Every night I think about how he was burned," he added.
Mohammed Abu Khdeir removed from terror memorial after family's request
Palestinian teen, who was burned alive by Jewish settlers, was added to the Victims of Acts of Terror Memorial at Mount Herzl; 'This is a great initiative to honor my son, but I'm more interested in justice,' says father.
The National Insurance Institute removed the name of Mohammed Abu Khdeir from the Victims of Acts of Terror Memorial at Mount Herzl on Tuesday, following a request by his family. The Khdeir family made their request earlier in the day after discovering the addition of the name from media outlets.
Israel Radio reported on Tuesday morning that the name of Khdeir, the Palestinian teenager from East Jerusalem who was kidnapped and murdered by Jewish settlers last summer, was added to the Victims of Acts of Terror Memorial at Mount Herzl,.
His name was also added to the list of terror victims in the government-run website. The Defense Ministry recognized Abu Khdeir as a victim of "hostile action" in July, some two weeks after he was murdered.
Hussein Abu Khdeir, Mohammed's father, told Ynet that "this is a great initiative meant to honor my son, but I'm more interested with something else entirely: For the court to do justice with those who burned my son alive, and sentence them to the appropriate punishment." Hussein was referring to the fact defense lawyers for some of the accused plan to claim their clients are mentally unfit to stand trial.
"My son is gone, my son was burned and we were burned with him. I want justice and not honor. What good is it going to do me if they carve his name in stone?" Hussein said. Mohammed Abu Khdeir, 16, was murdered shortly after the bodies of three Israeli teens - Gil-Ad Shaer, Naftali Frenkel and Eyal Yifrach - were discovered after they were kidnapped and murdered near Hebron.
The accused, 30-year-old Yosef Ben-David and two minors, kidnapped Abu Khdeir from the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Shuafat and burned him alive at the Jerusalem Forest. Hussein said that since the murder early on the morning of July 2, 2014, members of the family have been in a bad state. "Mohammed's mother, his brothers and sisters, and I, can't stop experiencing hardships. Our entire life is gone. We have mental problems in the family since it happened," he said.
"I don't forget for a moment that at court, my son's murderers look at me and laugh and enjoy themselves. How would you feel if someone burned your son alive and smiled at court? It made me and his mother sick. We can't leave the house. Every night I think about how he was burned," he added.
20 apr 2015
Surge of reports of sexual harrasment in police force leads intelligence services to release information about issue in their organization; findings show only 3 complaints of sexual harrasment emerged in 3 year span, possible sign of victims' fear.
Israel's external intelligence service Mossad has only investigated one sexual harassment complaint in the past three years, while its internal counterpart the Shin Bet has only investigated two, data obtained by Ynet shows.
Sexual victims and organizations dealing with sexual harassment say this is a direct result of a culture of silence and a fear to report an offense widespread in the intelligence community.
The intelligence organizations have released the data following months of uproar over repeated allegations of sexual offenses in the Israel Police.
According to the data obtained by Ynet via the Movement for Freedom of Information, between the years 2012-2014 the Mossad investigated only one case of sexual harassment and the Shin Bet investigated two. The complaint filed with the Mossad was found not to have any basis, while the two complaints filed with the Shin Bet led to indictments and punishments.
The complaint filed with the Mossad was against another state employee and therefore transferred to the Civil Service Commission, which eventually found it was unjustified.
During those same years, the Mossad's gender equality institution received 14 complaints or reports of sexual harassment, but the applicants were not willing to file a complaint and as such the cases were treated as administrative and disciplinary matters.
At the Shin Bet, one of the two complaints in the three-year span was filed in 2012 and the other in 2013. In both cases, workers were sentenced in an internal disciplinary procedure. In one case, the complaint led to the dismissal of the harasser while in the other case, the employee received a severe reprimand - one month's salary was deducted and the employee was barred from receiving a promotion for four years.
The Mossad, whose staff is 37 percent women, said of the low number of complaints: "In many cases, despite the efforts of the commission on gender equality to persuade applicants to complain, they are unwilling to complain and become exposed. The reasons for this are varied – sometimes (the women) are interested in putting the matter behind them and not deal with it anymore after the harassment has ended. Sometimes (the woman) fears that her name and complaint will become known and sometimes (she) fears for her good reputation."
The Freedom of Information Act does not apply to the Shin Bet or the Mossad, but in light of the importance of the subject, the Movement for the Freedom of Information felt justified in filing a request regarding rates of sexual harassment in these institutions.
The appeal made to the Prime Minister's Office, which is responsible for the Mossad and Shin Bet, was made by Gal Rozenswieg from the the Clinic for the Freedom of Information at the College of Management Academic Studies.
'Unprecedented achievement'
Attorney Alona Winograd, head of the Movement for Freedom of Information, said: "The response by the intelligence services to the request of freedom of information is an unprecedented achievement. The mere fact that a response was given is estimable and emphasizes the change that has begun within the authorities on the right the public has to receive information."
According to Winograd, the movement for the freedom of information filed a request three years ago to obtain information about sexual harassment within the intelligence organizations but did not receive a favorable response.
The Mossad also detailed the way in which it handles complaints of sexual harassment. According to the organization, a representative of the committee for gender equality meets discreetly with the individual who filed the complaint. The complaint is then transferred to representatives of the Civil Service Commission. The complaint is then dealt with according to guidelines with the coordination of the institution's legal advisors.
CEO of The Association of Rape Crisis Centers Orit Solotziano is not impressed by the data. According to Solotziano, "the Shin Bet and Mossad are male-centered, hierarchal organizations, and as experiences from the IDF and police have taught us, unfortunately, these types of organizations are characterized many times by silencing of sexual harassment cases, which seriously harms the security and personal welfare of workers in these institutions."
According to Solotziano, the fact that there were only three complaints filed in a span of three years in the intelligence services points to a subculture of fear among women and men to report cases of sexual harassment.
Israel's external intelligence service Mossad has only investigated one sexual harassment complaint in the past three years, while its internal counterpart the Shin Bet has only investigated two, data obtained by Ynet shows.
Sexual victims and organizations dealing with sexual harassment say this is a direct result of a culture of silence and a fear to report an offense widespread in the intelligence community.
The intelligence organizations have released the data following months of uproar over repeated allegations of sexual offenses in the Israel Police.
According to the data obtained by Ynet via the Movement for Freedom of Information, between the years 2012-2014 the Mossad investigated only one case of sexual harassment and the Shin Bet investigated two. The complaint filed with the Mossad was found not to have any basis, while the two complaints filed with the Shin Bet led to indictments and punishments.
The complaint filed with the Mossad was against another state employee and therefore transferred to the Civil Service Commission, which eventually found it was unjustified.
During those same years, the Mossad's gender equality institution received 14 complaints or reports of sexual harassment, but the applicants were not willing to file a complaint and as such the cases were treated as administrative and disciplinary matters.
At the Shin Bet, one of the two complaints in the three-year span was filed in 2012 and the other in 2013. In both cases, workers were sentenced in an internal disciplinary procedure. In one case, the complaint led to the dismissal of the harasser while in the other case, the employee received a severe reprimand - one month's salary was deducted and the employee was barred from receiving a promotion for four years.
The Mossad, whose staff is 37 percent women, said of the low number of complaints: "In many cases, despite the efforts of the commission on gender equality to persuade applicants to complain, they are unwilling to complain and become exposed. The reasons for this are varied – sometimes (the women) are interested in putting the matter behind them and not deal with it anymore after the harassment has ended. Sometimes (the woman) fears that her name and complaint will become known and sometimes (she) fears for her good reputation."
The Freedom of Information Act does not apply to the Shin Bet or the Mossad, but in light of the importance of the subject, the Movement for the Freedom of Information felt justified in filing a request regarding rates of sexual harassment in these institutions.
The appeal made to the Prime Minister's Office, which is responsible for the Mossad and Shin Bet, was made by Gal Rozenswieg from the the Clinic for the Freedom of Information at the College of Management Academic Studies.
'Unprecedented achievement'
Attorney Alona Winograd, head of the Movement for Freedom of Information, said: "The response by the intelligence services to the request of freedom of information is an unprecedented achievement. The mere fact that a response was given is estimable and emphasizes the change that has begun within the authorities on the right the public has to receive information."
According to Winograd, the movement for the freedom of information filed a request three years ago to obtain information about sexual harassment within the intelligence organizations but did not receive a favorable response.
The Mossad also detailed the way in which it handles complaints of sexual harassment. According to the organization, a representative of the committee for gender equality meets discreetly with the individual who filed the complaint. The complaint is then transferred to representatives of the Civil Service Commission. The complaint is then dealt with according to guidelines with the coordination of the institution's legal advisors.
CEO of The Association of Rape Crisis Centers Orit Solotziano is not impressed by the data. According to Solotziano, "the Shin Bet and Mossad are male-centered, hierarchal organizations, and as experiences from the IDF and police have taught us, unfortunately, these types of organizations are characterized many times by silencing of sexual harassment cases, which seriously harms the security and personal welfare of workers in these institutions."
According to Solotziano, the fact that there were only three complaints filed in a span of three years in the intelligence services points to a subculture of fear among women and men to report cases of sexual harassment.
14 apr 2015
A day after being hospitalized for heart issues upon his arrival to Israel from the US, Rabbi Pinto pleads guilty to bribery and obstruction of justice as part of plea bargain for lighter sentence.
Celebrity Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto pleaded guilty Tuesday morning to charges of bribery at the Tel Aviv District Court, to which he arrived directly from the Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv, where he had been hospitalized immediately upon landing in Israel from the United States.
At the beginning of the hearing, the rabbi said: "My lawyers have read to me the indictment and yes, I admit it."
As part of a plea bargain, Rabbi Pinto admitted to the charges of bribery, attempted bribery and obstruction of justice. The rabbi will serve a lighter term in exchange for his testimony against a high-ranking police officer, Superintendent Efraim Bracha, who has been accused of accepting bribes from Pinto. Before his arrival to the court house, to which he arrived 20 minutes late, various versions of the rabbi's medical condition were reported. Pinto arrived in Israel on Monday and complained of chest pains during the flight over from the United States.
At the Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv, medical sources said that the examinations, which included a cardiac catheterization, showed Pinto had suffered from a serious heart problem and his family claimed that he had a blocked artery. Meanwhile, doctors said that he did not suffer from a coronary.
As requested by the prosecution, the judge in the case, Oded Modrik, filed a stay of exit order to ensure Pinto would not be able to leave Israel. On Tuesday, the court ordered Pinto to surrender his passport. Pinto agreed to testify against former head of the police's Lahav 443 anti-fraud unit Menashe Arbiv last September as part of a formal plea bargain with the state prosecutor. Arbiv was suspected of receiving benefits from businessman close to Rabbi Pinto. In exchange for the testimony, Pinto was promised a light jail sentence of a year in prison.
Associates of Rabbi Pinto had passed on information to Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein to try to make a deal: Pinto would provide testimony that would incriminate Arbiv in exchange for the cancellation of the indictment against him and also the investigation into one of the charities Pinto had headed.
The attorney general responded by filing an indictment against Pinto with charges which include bribing Superintendent Bracha in the amount of NIS 400,000 as well as for obstruction of justice. Bracha had notified his commanders of Pinto's request to bribe him and as per their order he continued to gather evidence against Pinto in the case.
Regarding sentencing, it was agreed Tuesday that the state would demand a one year prison sentence and an additional suspended sentence, fine and forfeiture of a significant amount of funds recovered.
Celebrity Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto pleaded guilty Tuesday morning to charges of bribery at the Tel Aviv District Court, to which he arrived directly from the Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv, where he had been hospitalized immediately upon landing in Israel from the United States.
At the beginning of the hearing, the rabbi said: "My lawyers have read to me the indictment and yes, I admit it."
As part of a plea bargain, Rabbi Pinto admitted to the charges of bribery, attempted bribery and obstruction of justice. The rabbi will serve a lighter term in exchange for his testimony against a high-ranking police officer, Superintendent Efraim Bracha, who has been accused of accepting bribes from Pinto. Before his arrival to the court house, to which he arrived 20 minutes late, various versions of the rabbi's medical condition were reported. Pinto arrived in Israel on Monday and complained of chest pains during the flight over from the United States.
At the Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv, medical sources said that the examinations, which included a cardiac catheterization, showed Pinto had suffered from a serious heart problem and his family claimed that he had a blocked artery. Meanwhile, doctors said that he did not suffer from a coronary.
As requested by the prosecution, the judge in the case, Oded Modrik, filed a stay of exit order to ensure Pinto would not be able to leave Israel. On Tuesday, the court ordered Pinto to surrender his passport. Pinto agreed to testify against former head of the police's Lahav 443 anti-fraud unit Menashe Arbiv last September as part of a formal plea bargain with the state prosecutor. Arbiv was suspected of receiving benefits from businessman close to Rabbi Pinto. In exchange for the testimony, Pinto was promised a light jail sentence of a year in prison.
Associates of Rabbi Pinto had passed on information to Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein to try to make a deal: Pinto would provide testimony that would incriminate Arbiv in exchange for the cancellation of the indictment against him and also the investigation into one of the charities Pinto had headed.
The attorney general responded by filing an indictment against Pinto with charges which include bribing Superintendent Bracha in the amount of NIS 400,000 as well as for obstruction of justice. Bracha had notified his commanders of Pinto's request to bribe him and as per their order he continued to gather evidence against Pinto in the case.
Regarding sentencing, it was agreed Tuesday that the state would demand a one year prison sentence and an additional suspended sentence, fine and forfeiture of a significant amount of funds recovered.
13 apr 2015
Eldad Sela allegedly used his position in intelligence to alert activists to upcoming arrests following attack on local mosque.
An IDF soldier from a West Bank settlement was indicted Monday for espionage, and is accused of passing information of future IDF actions to far-right settlers.
Corporal Elad Yaakov Sela, 25, from the settlement of Bat Ayin, was charged in Jaffa Military Court on two counts - espionage and revealing classified information.
According to the military prosecutor, Sela took advantage of his sensitive role as an intelligence NCO in the Etzion Brigade to leak classified information on planned arrests in Gush Etzion. During questioning, Sela said he served as intelligence officer "of the hills" – a reference to illicit settler activity in the West Bank.
The charges against Sela were so grave that they needed approval from Chief Military Prosecutor Major General Danny Efroni and Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein.
"The soldier repeatedly took advantage of his access to confidential information, which he passed to those who were the subject of that information," said prosecutor Major Thea Shalit. "He was assigned to a sensitive post, and the military trusted him to perform his duties with loyalty to the army and the state, and his actions abused that trust in the gravest possible way." In light of the gravity of the charges, the court president approved the prosecution's request to remand Sela until the end of legal proceedings against him.
Sela, who is married with two children, was arrested on March 11 by the nationalist crimes unit of the Judea and Samaria District. The arrest came after security forces recognized that right-wing activists in the Bat Ayin settlement appeared to be updated in a timely manner regarding planned arrests by the police and the Shin Bet security service at Bat Ayin, following a "price tag" attack on a local mosque.
Given that the area falls under the military jurisdiction and that the military activity was stored on the brigade computers, suspicions arose that someone in the brigade had leaked the sensitive information.
Sela was drafted into the IDF through the Haredi track. He was assigned as an intelligence noncom at the Etzion Brigade base close to his home, as he was married and had a baby at the time of enlistment. He suffers from medical problems, and the time of his arrest and interrogation by the Shin Bet had been hospitalized.
Following the indictment, the Shin Bet said that, "During questioning, Sela admitted that he had taken classified and sensitive IDF documents, and handed them to extreme right-wing elements in Bat Ayin. He did it for ideological reasons.
"The Shin Bet takes the transfer of information very seriously, as it is essentially a desire to thwart the activities of the security forces and has the potential to endanger the personal safety of troops." Adi Keidar, the attorney representing Sela on behalf of Honeinu legal aid service, said: "The conduct of the army and investigators towards the soldier is shameful. When Anat Kam committed serious offenses and leaked of thousands of secret documents that hurt IDF operations against the enemy, the system treated her with kid gloves and immediately released her to house arrest, but when it comes to a religious soldier suspected of aiding Jewish settlers the attitude is reminiscent of totalitarian regimes."
The Bat Ayin settlement in Gush Etzion, close to the Green Line, has been seen as a hotbed of extremist activity, including attacks on Arabs, plotting to attack Israeli politicians, and planning to blow up mosques. It was also home to the Bat Ayin Underground, an extremist group comprising residents of the settlement and members of the Hebron Jewish community who planned to carry out terror attacks against Arabs.
An IDF soldier from a West Bank settlement was indicted Monday for espionage, and is accused of passing information of future IDF actions to far-right settlers.
Corporal Elad Yaakov Sela, 25, from the settlement of Bat Ayin, was charged in Jaffa Military Court on two counts - espionage and revealing classified information.
According to the military prosecutor, Sela took advantage of his sensitive role as an intelligence NCO in the Etzion Brigade to leak classified information on planned arrests in Gush Etzion. During questioning, Sela said he served as intelligence officer "of the hills" – a reference to illicit settler activity in the West Bank.
The charges against Sela were so grave that they needed approval from Chief Military Prosecutor Major General Danny Efroni and Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein.
"The soldier repeatedly took advantage of his access to confidential information, which he passed to those who were the subject of that information," said prosecutor Major Thea Shalit. "He was assigned to a sensitive post, and the military trusted him to perform his duties with loyalty to the army and the state, and his actions abused that trust in the gravest possible way." In light of the gravity of the charges, the court president approved the prosecution's request to remand Sela until the end of legal proceedings against him.
Sela, who is married with two children, was arrested on March 11 by the nationalist crimes unit of the Judea and Samaria District. The arrest came after security forces recognized that right-wing activists in the Bat Ayin settlement appeared to be updated in a timely manner regarding planned arrests by the police and the Shin Bet security service at Bat Ayin, following a "price tag" attack on a local mosque.
Given that the area falls under the military jurisdiction and that the military activity was stored on the brigade computers, suspicions arose that someone in the brigade had leaked the sensitive information.
Sela was drafted into the IDF through the Haredi track. He was assigned as an intelligence noncom at the Etzion Brigade base close to his home, as he was married and had a baby at the time of enlistment. He suffers from medical problems, and the time of his arrest and interrogation by the Shin Bet had been hospitalized.
Following the indictment, the Shin Bet said that, "During questioning, Sela admitted that he had taken classified and sensitive IDF documents, and handed them to extreme right-wing elements in Bat Ayin. He did it for ideological reasons.
"The Shin Bet takes the transfer of information very seriously, as it is essentially a desire to thwart the activities of the security forces and has the potential to endanger the personal safety of troops." Adi Keidar, the attorney representing Sela on behalf of Honeinu legal aid service, said: "The conduct of the army and investigators towards the soldier is shameful. When Anat Kam committed serious offenses and leaked of thousands of secret documents that hurt IDF operations against the enemy, the system treated her with kid gloves and immediately released her to house arrest, but when it comes to a religious soldier suspected of aiding Jewish settlers the attitude is reminiscent of totalitarian regimes."
The Bat Ayin settlement in Gush Etzion, close to the Green Line, has been seen as a hotbed of extremist activity, including attacks on Arabs, plotting to attack Israeli politicians, and planning to blow up mosques. It was also home to the Bat Ayin Underground, an extremist group comprising residents of the settlement and members of the Hebron Jewish community who planned to carry out terror attacks against Arabs.
