17 may 2016
Minister of Welfare Haim Katz
Minister of Welfare and Social Services is suspected of colluding with financial advisor Moti Ben-Ari, purchasing stocks of real estate company Nitsba using inside information of an upcoming merger with Airport City Ltd. The two made a reported profit of NIS 290,000 off the purchase.
Minister of Welfare and Social Services Haim Katz, whose net worth is estimated to be in the tens of millions of Shekels, is now being investigated for insider trading.
The Israel Securities Authority (ISA) interrogated Katz and financial consultant Moti Ben-Ari, on suspicion that the two bought shares of real estate company Nitsba based on insider information of a merger that it was about to make with Airport City Ltd. Ben-Ari has been working with the two companies since 1999.
Ben-Ari allegedly told Katz, with whom he has social and business ties, about the merger before it went public, and Katz allegedly bought Nitsba stock following the tip. The two are suspected of using this information to take in a profit of about NIS 290,000. Ben-Ari's bail was set at NIS 1 million.
Minister Katz's associates responded to the suspicions against him on Tuesday, saying that they are "certain that the picture will be clarified for the better in the coming days." They further said that Katz has not hired a lawyer yet, and that he believes in his innocence and has cooperated fully with the investigators.
Minister of Welfare and Social Services is suspected of colluding with financial advisor Moti Ben-Ari, purchasing stocks of real estate company Nitsba using inside information of an upcoming merger with Airport City Ltd. The two made a reported profit of NIS 290,000 off the purchase.
Minister of Welfare and Social Services Haim Katz, whose net worth is estimated to be in the tens of millions of Shekels, is now being investigated for insider trading.
The Israel Securities Authority (ISA) interrogated Katz and financial consultant Moti Ben-Ari, on suspicion that the two bought shares of real estate company Nitsba based on insider information of a merger that it was about to make with Airport City Ltd. Ben-Ari has been working with the two companies since 1999.
Ben-Ari allegedly told Katz, with whom he has social and business ties, about the merger before it went public, and Katz allegedly bought Nitsba stock following the tip. The two are suspected of using this information to take in a profit of about NIS 290,000. Ben-Ari's bail was set at NIS 1 million.
Minister Katz's associates responded to the suspicions against him on Tuesday, saying that they are "certain that the picture will be clarified for the better in the coming days." They further said that Katz has not hired a lawyer yet, and that he believes in his innocence and has cooperated fully with the investigators.
Excerpts from the interrogation of the Jewish terror cell from Nahliel in the West Bank shed light on their motives and how they planned their attacks.
Ynet received excerpts of the transcriptions of the seven-member Jewish terror cell from the West Bank indicted last month that shed light on the cell's motives and how they carried out their actions.
Among the defendants are two minors and a soldier from the settlement of Nahliel in the western Binyamin mountains, whose names are under gag order. The other defendants are: Pinchas Sandorfi, 22, from Nahliel; Itamar Ben Aharon, 20, from Beit Shemesh; Michael Kaplan, 20, from Jerusalem; and Dana Shneur, 28, from Ma'ale Efraim.
The lawyer of four of the defendants claimed that they admitted to acts they didn't commit because of the heavy pressure exerted on them during their interrogation.
One of the defendants is a minor who is accused of a number of offenses, the most serious of which is throwing a tear gas grenade at house in the Palestinian village of Beitillu last December. During his interrogation, he said that the grenades had long been in the settlement of Nahliel, and that he knew where they were being kept.
Interrogator: "Have you ever thrown a hand grenade?"
Defendant: "No, I was afraid, but we threw it together into a window of a house in the village of Beitillu. We broke the window with a stone and threw the grenades inside."
Interrogator: "And all this time you didn't know what kind of grenade it was?"
Defendant: "No."
Interrogator: "Did the grenade make noise? Did it explode?
Defendant: "I don't know, we didn't see anything because we ran away."
Interrogator: "Weren't you afraid that they would find your fingerprints on the grenades?"
Defendant: "We didn't think about that."
Interrogator: "Did you graffiti any place?"
Defendant: "Yes, the other minor did."
Interrogator: "Do you remember what you did with the safety pins?"
Defendant: "I don't remember."
Interrogator: "Who threw the first grenade, you or the other minor?"
Defendant: "Together, I believe, we didn't decide on it."
Interrogator: "What did your graffiti say?"
Defendant: "Revenge for the prisoners of Zion."
According to the indictment, the tear gas incident occurred while the suspects in the July 2014 Duma attack were being questioned. The boys from Nahliel sought "to send a message" to Israeli government officials that the arrest of those responsible for the Duma attack would not prevent 'price tag' attacks. Therefore they sought to harm Arabs, and on December 22, they armed themselves with IDF gas grenades, spray paint and gloves. Later came the hill near Nahliel, waited until nightfall, and planned the attack.
According to the indictment, around 1:30am, after they wiped their fingerprints off of the grenades, left their mobile phones behind, covered their faces and put on gloves, the defendants walked to the outskirts of the village of Beitillu and arrived at one of the homes, where a couple and their nine-month-old baby were sleeping.
One of the boys sprayed "Revenge, greetings to the prisoners of Zion" on the wall. The defendants then smashed a nearby window, threw grenades into the house, and ran off. They've done all of this, the prosecution said, while knowing there were people inside the house.
After they threw the grenades, tear gas began to spread throughout the house and the people inside began to tear up and feel suffocation. The couple then took their baby and fled the house.
However, despite the confessions, questions still linger regarding the case, the main one being that neither the grenades nor the safety pins were found at the scene and as a result, the defendants' fingerprints were not found at the scene. In addition, the defendants could've known what was spray-painted on the wall, as it was reported in the media the day after the incident.
One of the charges in the indictment is of setting fire to a Palestinian vehicle and throwing stones at other Palestinian vehicles on the night of the terror attack in which Naama and Eitam Henkin were slain in front of their children.
In his interrogation, another defendant, a relative of the aforementioned minor, talked about the tense atmosphere in the settlement following the attack and the decision to take action: "Everyone who was there talked about the attack. We had a very difficult conversation because Jews were murdered and we were all very distraught. I took the two minors aside and we talked about the possibility of destroying Arab property. In that conversation we decided I would drive the car and an idea was raised to go and throw stones at Arab vehicles and then the idea to go and set a vehicle on fire was also raised.
"I put a hat on my head so I wouldn't be recognized. When I pulled over, the others crossed the street to where a Palestinian car was. They slashed the car's tires, smashed the windows and set it on fire. I had the engine on and the lights off."
The charges against the members of the cell include violence and arms offences against Palestinians and their property in the Samaria region.
Attorney Nechumi Feinblatt, who represents four of the suspects, said that "these are 'confessions' extracted after a week in the dungeon, during which the defendants were learning from the interrogators how the attacks were committed, memorizing the details they were given and trying to please the interrogators and create a 'confession,' all so they could leave the 2x2 meters dungeon, which was sealed without any windows and with a light on 24/7.
"The defendants banged on the dungeon's door and begged to speak with an interrogator just so they could see another human being and breathe different air. During a week, they were interrogated for only two hours, and the defendants considered it a 'reward' to get to talk. Pinchas wanted to speak with another human being so much that he confessed to three other car arsons and throwing stones while giving detailed information—the interrogators didn't believe him and realized he was making it up just to get time in their company.
"It's lucky that the incidents they 'confessed' to actually happened—that way the interrogators could believe the 'confession,' which was extracted through mental torture. I'm certain that 80 percent of the public, after a week in a 2x2 dungeon with the light on 24/7, would confess to anything they are familiar with, just to receive perks from the interrogators. In such a situation, a conversation is also a perk."
Ynet received excerpts of the transcriptions of the seven-member Jewish terror cell from the West Bank indicted last month that shed light on the cell's motives and how they carried out their actions.
Among the defendants are two minors and a soldier from the settlement of Nahliel in the western Binyamin mountains, whose names are under gag order. The other defendants are: Pinchas Sandorfi, 22, from Nahliel; Itamar Ben Aharon, 20, from Beit Shemesh; Michael Kaplan, 20, from Jerusalem; and Dana Shneur, 28, from Ma'ale Efraim.
The lawyer of four of the defendants claimed that they admitted to acts they didn't commit because of the heavy pressure exerted on them during their interrogation.
One of the defendants is a minor who is accused of a number of offenses, the most serious of which is throwing a tear gas grenade at house in the Palestinian village of Beitillu last December. During his interrogation, he said that the grenades had long been in the settlement of Nahliel, and that he knew where they were being kept.
Interrogator: "Have you ever thrown a hand grenade?"
Defendant: "No, I was afraid, but we threw it together into a window of a house in the village of Beitillu. We broke the window with a stone and threw the grenades inside."
Interrogator: "And all this time you didn't know what kind of grenade it was?"
Defendant: "No."
Interrogator: "Did the grenade make noise? Did it explode?
Defendant: "I don't know, we didn't see anything because we ran away."
Interrogator: "Weren't you afraid that they would find your fingerprints on the grenades?"
Defendant: "We didn't think about that."
Interrogator: "Did you graffiti any place?"
Defendant: "Yes, the other minor did."
Interrogator: "Do you remember what you did with the safety pins?"
Defendant: "I don't remember."
Interrogator: "Who threw the first grenade, you or the other minor?"
Defendant: "Together, I believe, we didn't decide on it."
Interrogator: "What did your graffiti say?"
Defendant: "Revenge for the prisoners of Zion."
According to the indictment, the tear gas incident occurred while the suspects in the July 2014 Duma attack were being questioned. The boys from Nahliel sought "to send a message" to Israeli government officials that the arrest of those responsible for the Duma attack would not prevent 'price tag' attacks. Therefore they sought to harm Arabs, and on December 22, they armed themselves with IDF gas grenades, spray paint and gloves. Later came the hill near Nahliel, waited until nightfall, and planned the attack.
According to the indictment, around 1:30am, after they wiped their fingerprints off of the grenades, left their mobile phones behind, covered their faces and put on gloves, the defendants walked to the outskirts of the village of Beitillu and arrived at one of the homes, where a couple and their nine-month-old baby were sleeping.
One of the boys sprayed "Revenge, greetings to the prisoners of Zion" on the wall. The defendants then smashed a nearby window, threw grenades into the house, and ran off. They've done all of this, the prosecution said, while knowing there were people inside the house.
After they threw the grenades, tear gas began to spread throughout the house and the people inside began to tear up and feel suffocation. The couple then took their baby and fled the house.
However, despite the confessions, questions still linger regarding the case, the main one being that neither the grenades nor the safety pins were found at the scene and as a result, the defendants' fingerprints were not found at the scene. In addition, the defendants could've known what was spray-painted on the wall, as it was reported in the media the day after the incident.
One of the charges in the indictment is of setting fire to a Palestinian vehicle and throwing stones at other Palestinian vehicles on the night of the terror attack in which Naama and Eitam Henkin were slain in front of their children.
In his interrogation, another defendant, a relative of the aforementioned minor, talked about the tense atmosphere in the settlement following the attack and the decision to take action: "Everyone who was there talked about the attack. We had a very difficult conversation because Jews were murdered and we were all very distraught. I took the two minors aside and we talked about the possibility of destroying Arab property. In that conversation we decided I would drive the car and an idea was raised to go and throw stones at Arab vehicles and then the idea to go and set a vehicle on fire was also raised.
"I put a hat on my head so I wouldn't be recognized. When I pulled over, the others crossed the street to where a Palestinian car was. They slashed the car's tires, smashed the windows and set it on fire. I had the engine on and the lights off."
The charges against the members of the cell include violence and arms offences against Palestinians and their property in the Samaria region.
Attorney Nechumi Feinblatt, who represents four of the suspects, said that "these are 'confessions' extracted after a week in the dungeon, during which the defendants were learning from the interrogators how the attacks were committed, memorizing the details they were given and trying to please the interrogators and create a 'confession,' all so they could leave the 2x2 meters dungeon, which was sealed without any windows and with a light on 24/7.
"The defendants banged on the dungeon's door and begged to speak with an interrogator just so they could see another human being and breathe different air. During a week, they were interrogated for only two hours, and the defendants considered it a 'reward' to get to talk. Pinchas wanted to speak with another human being so much that he confessed to three other car arsons and throwing stones while giving detailed information—the interrogators didn't believe him and realized he was making it up just to get time in their company.
"It's lucky that the incidents they 'confessed' to actually happened—that way the interrogators could believe the 'confession,' which was extracted through mental torture. I'm certain that 80 percent of the public, after a week in a 2x2 dungeon with the light on 24/7, would confess to anything they are familiar with, just to receive perks from the interrogators. In such a situation, a conversation is also a perk."
13 may 2016
Israeli border police arrested 10 right-wing Israelis Thursday evening after they assaulted Palestinian residents of Jerusalem at the Damascus Gate entrance to occupied East Jerusalem’s Old City.
Witnesses told Ma’an that a group of Israeli extremists physically assaulted Palestinian youths and hurled verbal abuse at them, while repeating slogans calling for the destruction of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Spokesperson for the Israeli police Luba al-Samri said in a statement that police arrested 10 right-wing Israeli activists after they physically assaulted local Palestinians and formed a human chain preventing them from passing through Damascus Gate.
She added that three of the ten arrested were women carrying their infant children.
Tensions in the Old City contributed to the recent escalation of violence after right-wing Israelis made frequent visits to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound during a succession of Jewish holidays last fall, as the mosque sits where Jews believe the First and Second Temples once stood; extremists call for the destruction of the mosque to make room for a Third Temple.
Witnesses told Ma’an that a group of Israeli extremists physically assaulted Palestinian youths and hurled verbal abuse at them, while repeating slogans calling for the destruction of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Spokesperson for the Israeli police Luba al-Samri said in a statement that police arrested 10 right-wing Israeli activists after they physically assaulted local Palestinians and formed a human chain preventing them from passing through Damascus Gate.
She added that three of the ten arrested were women carrying their infant children.
Tensions in the Old City contributed to the recent escalation of violence after right-wing Israelis made frequent visits to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound during a succession of Jewish holidays last fall, as the mosque sits where Jews believe the First and Second Temples once stood; extremists call for the destruction of the mosque to make room for a Third Temple.
9 may 2016
Mordechai Vanunu, the Israeli spy known for divulging the country’s nuclear secrets, was back in court Sunday, as he faced jail time for once again violating terms of his release.
Convicted Israeli spy Mordechai Vanunu returned to court Sunday, this time for repeatedly violating the terms of his parole. Vanunu had famously served a lengthy prison sentence for providing foreign press with classified information regarding Israel's nuclear weaponry.
A nuclear technician, Mordechai Vanunu was convicted in 1988 of treason and espionage for revealing details of Israel’s atomic program in Dimona—a program that Israel has never officially acknowledged—to the British press in 1986. After being apprehended by the Mossad in a secret operation in Rome, he was sentenced to prison, eventually being released in 2004 under severe restrictions.
Three different counts of parole violations were filed against Vanunu by the police on Sunday, including meeting with foreign citizens for a time exceeding 30 minutes and for moving apartments without notifying the authorities. Vanunu is also charged with allegedly revealing privileged information during an interview he gave to Channel 2 News in September 2015.
According to the indictment, Vanunu secretly met with two US citizens in a hotel in East Jerusalem. Avigdor Feldman, Vanunu’s lawyer, dismissed the charges as politically motivated and dealing with petty violations, saying that the meeting occurred three years ago and that the apartment his client had moved into was in the same building as his previous one.
“Filing an indictment for meeting two foreigners three years ago, for moving apartments in the same building and for giving an interview that had been properly presented to the military censorship is a new low,” stated Felman, relating to the “harassment that the State of Israel has subjected Vanunu to.”
Convicted Israeli spy Mordechai Vanunu returned to court Sunday, this time for repeatedly violating the terms of his parole. Vanunu had famously served a lengthy prison sentence for providing foreign press with classified information regarding Israel's nuclear weaponry.
A nuclear technician, Mordechai Vanunu was convicted in 1988 of treason and espionage for revealing details of Israel’s atomic program in Dimona—a program that Israel has never officially acknowledged—to the British press in 1986. After being apprehended by the Mossad in a secret operation in Rome, he was sentenced to prison, eventually being released in 2004 under severe restrictions.
Three different counts of parole violations were filed against Vanunu by the police on Sunday, including meeting with foreign citizens for a time exceeding 30 minutes and for moving apartments without notifying the authorities. Vanunu is also charged with allegedly revealing privileged information during an interview he gave to Channel 2 News in September 2015.
According to the indictment, Vanunu secretly met with two US citizens in a hotel in East Jerusalem. Avigdor Feldman, Vanunu’s lawyer, dismissed the charges as politically motivated and dealing with petty violations, saying that the meeting occurred three years ago and that the apartment his client had moved into was in the same building as his previous one.
“Filing an indictment for meeting two foreigners three years ago, for moving apartments in the same building and for giving an interview that had been properly presented to the military censorship is a new low,” stated Felman, relating to the “harassment that the State of Israel has subjected Vanunu to.”
4 may 2016
Israeli Arab claims police used excessive force against him after insult exchange; lawyer protests decision not to file criminal charges: 'It cannot be that these crimes do not pass the criminal threshold.'
A Border Police officer will face a disciplinary court hearing after he allegedly attacked an Israeli Arab in 2015 during a random stop-and-search.
The incident was captured on camera by a Palestinian, and was used by the victim and the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI) to file a complaint against the officer to the Police Investigation Unit.
The victim claimed that he was attacked by several policemen after they insulted him, and he responded with a derisory remark of his own.
The victim’s lawyer, Attorney Noa Levy from the legal department of the PCATI, claimed that on November 5, 2015, the complainant was searched by Border Policemen as he was walking toward his vehicle. Upon completion of the search, one of the policemen returned his ID while “cursing his mother,” read the official complaint. In response, the complainant said: “You behave like a boy, not a man.”
The policeman then allegedly detained the man and requested to see his ID once again while cursing at him. The complainant's lawyer wrote that after he handed over his ID for a second time, two other Border Policemen arrived and granted him permission to leave the scene. However, the first policeman insisted that he exit his vehicle again and exclaimed: “Get out. I want to **** you.”
“My client was shocked by the threat and was afraid to exit his vehicle,” wrote the the attorney. “At this point all of the policemen surrounded his car and forced him out of the car, dragged him to a street corner and began to punch him in his face, in his back and in his stomach from all directions at the same time. They headbutted him and kicked him. All of this happened while being surrounded by a large number of Border Police.”
According to Levy, the entire incident was captured on camera, “While all of this happened, not a hint of resistance to the arrest can be seen.”
After this the complainant was taken to the police station and placed in a bathroom stall by four policemen “while at the same time they continued to curse him and to slap him. Inside the bathroom the police undressed him and conducted a group search,” the complaint alleged.
Levy also cited the observations of a police medical officer who, during an examination of the victim, noticed marks indicating that the man had been assaulted by the police. The plaintiff further claimed that the offenses committed against him, which included sexual perversion, constituted, “cruel, inhumane and humiliating treatment, and contravenes the Convention Against Torture.”
The complaint prompted an investigation by the Police Investigation Unit (PIU), which on Sunday sent an official letter to the victim informing him of the decision to transfer the case to the disciplinary division of the police which would preside over a disciplinary tribunal.
The PCATI has since expressed anger over the decision, insisting that the severity of the case warrants being considered as a criminal, rather than a disciplinary, matter.
In November, the public committee against torture in Israel launched a project against police violence, under the directorship of Levy. The committee said that “The violence carried out by the state toward civilians constitutes and is thought many times as torture according to law.”
Since the project was launched, Levy claims to have come across the use of unreasonable force to suppress legitimate protests and during searches and arrests designed to humiliate, to inflict pain and to hurt arrested civilians. Moreover, Levy claims she has come across threats and harassment against complainants.
As part of the project, the PCATI has submitted ten complaints before the PIU about alleged police violence and has established contact with dozens of complainants from different sectors. In two of the cases, the policemen involved will be summoned for a disciplinary tribunal much to the dismay of the PCATI which has already resolved to appeal the decision. “It cannot be that these crimes do not pass the criminal threshold,” Levy bemoaned.
Despite her efforts, the PIU remained adamant that the matter will fall within a disciplinary plain, responding thus: “With the conclusion of the investigation, after examining the evidence, the PIU decided that the policemen would stand in a disciplinary hearing due to the use of unlawful force offenses. The investigation determined that although force was employed to perform (professional) tasks (arrest of suspects), excessive force was used and therefore it was decided that the policemen would stand a disciplinary trial. The complainant may file an appeal against the decision, which will be reviewed.”
A Border Police officer will face a disciplinary court hearing after he allegedly attacked an Israeli Arab in 2015 during a random stop-and-search.
The incident was captured on camera by a Palestinian, and was used by the victim and the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI) to file a complaint against the officer to the Police Investigation Unit.
The victim claimed that he was attacked by several policemen after they insulted him, and he responded with a derisory remark of his own.
The victim’s lawyer, Attorney Noa Levy from the legal department of the PCATI, claimed that on November 5, 2015, the complainant was searched by Border Policemen as he was walking toward his vehicle. Upon completion of the search, one of the policemen returned his ID while “cursing his mother,” read the official complaint. In response, the complainant said: “You behave like a boy, not a man.”
The policeman then allegedly detained the man and requested to see his ID once again while cursing at him. The complainant's lawyer wrote that after he handed over his ID for a second time, two other Border Policemen arrived and granted him permission to leave the scene. However, the first policeman insisted that he exit his vehicle again and exclaimed: “Get out. I want to **** you.”
“My client was shocked by the threat and was afraid to exit his vehicle,” wrote the the attorney. “At this point all of the policemen surrounded his car and forced him out of the car, dragged him to a street corner and began to punch him in his face, in his back and in his stomach from all directions at the same time. They headbutted him and kicked him. All of this happened while being surrounded by a large number of Border Police.”
According to Levy, the entire incident was captured on camera, “While all of this happened, not a hint of resistance to the arrest can be seen.”
After this the complainant was taken to the police station and placed in a bathroom stall by four policemen “while at the same time they continued to curse him and to slap him. Inside the bathroom the police undressed him and conducted a group search,” the complaint alleged.
Levy also cited the observations of a police medical officer who, during an examination of the victim, noticed marks indicating that the man had been assaulted by the police. The plaintiff further claimed that the offenses committed against him, which included sexual perversion, constituted, “cruel, inhumane and humiliating treatment, and contravenes the Convention Against Torture.”
The complaint prompted an investigation by the Police Investigation Unit (PIU), which on Sunday sent an official letter to the victim informing him of the decision to transfer the case to the disciplinary division of the police which would preside over a disciplinary tribunal.
The PCATI has since expressed anger over the decision, insisting that the severity of the case warrants being considered as a criminal, rather than a disciplinary, matter.
In November, the public committee against torture in Israel launched a project against police violence, under the directorship of Levy. The committee said that “The violence carried out by the state toward civilians constitutes and is thought many times as torture according to law.”
Since the project was launched, Levy claims to have come across the use of unreasonable force to suppress legitimate protests and during searches and arrests designed to humiliate, to inflict pain and to hurt arrested civilians. Moreover, Levy claims she has come across threats and harassment against complainants.
As part of the project, the PCATI has submitted ten complaints before the PIU about alleged police violence and has established contact with dozens of complainants from different sectors. In two of the cases, the policemen involved will be summoned for a disciplinary tribunal much to the dismay of the PCATI which has already resolved to appeal the decision. “It cannot be that these crimes do not pass the criminal threshold,” Levy bemoaned.
Despite her efforts, the PIU remained adamant that the matter will fall within a disciplinary plain, responding thus: “With the conclusion of the investigation, after examining the evidence, the PIU decided that the policemen would stand in a disciplinary hearing due to the use of unlawful force offenses. The investigation determined that although force was employed to perform (professional) tasks (arrest of suspects), excessive force was used and therefore it was decided that the policemen would stand a disciplinary trial. The complainant may file an appeal against the decision, which will be reviewed.”
26 apr 2016
Fyodor Bejenari has been in custody for 46 days and police hope the publication of his arrest would bring other alleged victims forward.
Haifa resident Feodor Bejenari, 26, is suspected of committing at least four acts of murders, numerous sex offenses all over Israel and arson, police cleared for publication on Tuesday.
The Moldova-born man immigrated to Israel several years ago and married an Israeli woman.
After 46 days in custody, the Israel Police decided to made his arrest public and release his photo after gathering information about multiple assaults he allegedly committed. Police is hoping reports of the arrest would lead members of the public to come forward with any additional information they made have.
The investigation, led by a special team of the police's Central Unit and conducted by three different police units, is under gag order.
Attorney Lior Ronen who represents Bejenari, said: "The suspect denies the suspicions attributed to him. The investigation is moving at a very slow pace, in our opinion. He has been under arrest for over 40 days and has yet to learn all of the suspicions attributed to him. The suspect also made claims about the police's treatment of him, and these things will be raised in court."
Haifa resident Feodor Bejenari, 26, is suspected of committing at least four acts of murders, numerous sex offenses all over Israel and arson, police cleared for publication on Tuesday.
The Moldova-born man immigrated to Israel several years ago and married an Israeli woman.
After 46 days in custody, the Israel Police decided to made his arrest public and release his photo after gathering information about multiple assaults he allegedly committed. Police is hoping reports of the arrest would lead members of the public to come forward with any additional information they made have.
The investigation, led by a special team of the police's Central Unit and conducted by three different police units, is under gag order.
Attorney Lior Ronen who represents Bejenari, said: "The suspect denies the suspicions attributed to him. The investigation is moving at a very slow pace, in our opinion. He has been under arrest for over 40 days and has yet to learn all of the suspicions attributed to him. The suspect also made claims about the police's treatment of him, and these things will be raised in court."
25 apr 2016
Price tag graffiti.
The members of the Nahliel group allegedly operated out of the Gush Talmonim area of the West Bank, and are suspected of several crimes, including arson and assault.
Indictments were filed at the Lod District Court on Monday against members a recently-uncovered alleged Jewish terror cell, suspected of perpetrating terrorist acts and hate crimes against Palestinians. The indictments include violent offenses, weapons charges, and other crimes aimed against Palestinians and their property in the West Bank. The alleged acts were perpetrated in the Gush Talmonim area of the West Bank, near Ramallah. The suspects are accused of committing similar offenses in the 2009-2013 period.
Last week, the Shin Bet revealed that had arrested six suspects, five from the Binyamin area, and one from Kiryat Arba, near Hebron. Three of the suspects are Pinchas Sandorfi, 22, Itamar Ben Aharon, 20, Michael Kaplan, 20. Among them are also two minors, 16 and 17 years old, and an IDF soldier, all of whose identities are under gag order. They are suspected of being involved in security offenses against Palestinians, setting vehicles on fire, assault, and throwing a Molotov cocktail and gas grenade towards inhabited homes.
The Shin Bet claims that a short while after their arrest, the suspects confessed to their deeds, and even reenacted several of the events.
According to the indictment, Jewish extremists perpetrated Price Tag actions across Israel and in the Palestinian territories, which included setting fire to Arab people's property, lobbing gas grenades, illegally possessing weapons, and throwing Molotov cocktails into an unoccupied home. Three of the suspects are accused of illegally organizing, aggravated assault, throwing rocks at vehicles, arson, illegally carrying weapons, causing destruction due to racist motives, defacing lands, and more.
The suspects allegedly perpetrated these offenses in different places across Israel and the West Bank. Their actions were allegedly accompanied by the dissemination of propaganda and provocative publications. These actions included setting fire to property which belonged to Arab people, including cars and homes, and spraying graffiti. All victims were selected due to their national and religious profile. According to the indictment, three of the suspects collected equipment for terror attacks, including military-grade gas grenades, gloves, and spray paint. Suspect number 3 is accused of illegal weapons possession, after an M-16 assault rifle was found in his home, along with ammunition.
A fourth indictment accuses the two suspects who are minors of throwing Molotov cocktails in Mazra'a al-Qibliya, near Ramallah. The indictment states that the two are suspected of filling bottles and bleach containers with fuel, walking to an Arab town or village, and throwing the incendiary devices at an inhabited home. They later allegedly sprayed graffiti on the walls which said "Jews wake up, death to Arabs." The home was damaged but its inhabitants were not hurt.
The Shin Bet and the nationalistic crimes division of the Judea and Samaria District Police claim that the members of the alleged terror cell, who worked together over a long period of time, set fire to a Palestinian vehicle mere hours after the murder of Naama and Eitam Henkin in October. In addition, the group, also known as the Nahliel group, is accused of assaulting a Palestinian in July 2015, and setting fire to a Palestinian vehicle in 2014. In addition, five of the suspects are suspected of throwing a gas grenade towards a home in the village of Bitilu in December.
The members of the Nahliel group allegedly operated out of the Gush Talmonim area of the West Bank, and are suspected of several crimes, including arson and assault.
Indictments were filed at the Lod District Court on Monday against members a recently-uncovered alleged Jewish terror cell, suspected of perpetrating terrorist acts and hate crimes against Palestinians. The indictments include violent offenses, weapons charges, and other crimes aimed against Palestinians and their property in the West Bank. The alleged acts were perpetrated in the Gush Talmonim area of the West Bank, near Ramallah. The suspects are accused of committing similar offenses in the 2009-2013 period.
Last week, the Shin Bet revealed that had arrested six suspects, five from the Binyamin area, and one from Kiryat Arba, near Hebron. Three of the suspects are Pinchas Sandorfi, 22, Itamar Ben Aharon, 20, Michael Kaplan, 20. Among them are also two minors, 16 and 17 years old, and an IDF soldier, all of whose identities are under gag order. They are suspected of being involved in security offenses against Palestinians, setting vehicles on fire, assault, and throwing a Molotov cocktail and gas grenade towards inhabited homes.
The Shin Bet claims that a short while after their arrest, the suspects confessed to their deeds, and even reenacted several of the events.
According to the indictment, Jewish extremists perpetrated Price Tag actions across Israel and in the Palestinian territories, which included setting fire to Arab people's property, lobbing gas grenades, illegally possessing weapons, and throwing Molotov cocktails into an unoccupied home. Three of the suspects are accused of illegally organizing, aggravated assault, throwing rocks at vehicles, arson, illegally carrying weapons, causing destruction due to racist motives, defacing lands, and more.
The suspects allegedly perpetrated these offenses in different places across Israel and the West Bank. Their actions were allegedly accompanied by the dissemination of propaganda and provocative publications. These actions included setting fire to property which belonged to Arab people, including cars and homes, and spraying graffiti. All victims were selected due to their national and religious profile. According to the indictment, three of the suspects collected equipment for terror attacks, including military-grade gas grenades, gloves, and spray paint. Suspect number 3 is accused of illegal weapons possession, after an M-16 assault rifle was found in his home, along with ammunition.
A fourth indictment accuses the two suspects who are minors of throwing Molotov cocktails in Mazra'a al-Qibliya, near Ramallah. The indictment states that the two are suspected of filling bottles and bleach containers with fuel, walking to an Arab town or village, and throwing the incendiary devices at an inhabited home. They later allegedly sprayed graffiti on the walls which said "Jews wake up, death to Arabs." The home was damaged but its inhabitants were not hurt.
The Shin Bet and the nationalistic crimes division of the Judea and Samaria District Police claim that the members of the alleged terror cell, who worked together over a long period of time, set fire to a Palestinian vehicle mere hours after the murder of Naama and Eitam Henkin in October. In addition, the group, also known as the Nahliel group, is accused of assaulting a Palestinian in July 2015, and setting fire to a Palestinian vehicle in 2014. In addition, five of the suspects are suspected of throwing a gas grenade towards a home in the village of Bitilu in December.
22 apr 2016
Israeli police on Friday banned 29 Palestinian worshippers from the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and detained seven right-wing Jewish Israelis amid heightened tensions over the Jewish holiday of Passover.
Israeli police spokesperson Luba al-Samri said in a statement that Israeli police had arrested three right-wing Jewish Israelis on Friday morning for bringing two goats toward the compound's gates as a sacrifice for the Jewish holiday.
Later on Friday afternoon, police arrested four more Jewish Israelis at the holy site's Moroccan Gate who were also on their way to make a sacrifice. All the goats were confiscated, al-Samri said.
"Israeli police are working to allow worshipers of the three religions (Muslims, Christians, and Jews) to practice their religious rituals in Jerusalem and maintain their safety," she said.
Ahead of Passover, right-wing Jewish organizations had urged Jews to flock to Jerusalem's Mount of Olives and the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound to offer sacrifices, Israeli media reported.
Meanwhile, a number of Palestinian worshipers were banned from the holy site following an extensive detention campaign by Israeli forces in occupied East Jerusalem the night before the Jewish holiday.
While one of the Palestinian detainees was transferred into administrative detention, another 55 others were released on the condition that they be banned from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
The head of the Jerusalem Detainees Committee, Amjad Abu Asab, said the al-Qishla police center had released 19 Palestinian were were detained early Friday after banning them from entering al-Aqsa for 15 days.
Meanwhile, Muhammad Mahmoud, a lawyer with Palestinian prisoners' rights group Addameer, told Ma'an that an Israeli court released five previously detained youths on the condition that they be banned from the holy site until May 10, in addition to eight days of house arrest.
Mahmoud said five other youths were banned from the mosque for periods ranging from eight to 15 days, bringing the total banned from the mosque to 29.
The security crack-down comes as the Israeli authorities suspended visits to Jerusalem for Gazans and closed all crossing for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip, amid tightened security measures for the holiday.
Jewish settlers try to slaughter livestock near Aqsa Mosque
In an attempt to defile the Islamic sanctity of the Aqsa Mosque, some Jewish settlers on Friday started their Passover holiday trying to give ritual animal offerings near the Mosque in Occupied Jerusalem.
Local sources reported that two settlers carrying a goat stopped at al-Qattanin market near the Aqsa Mosque and loudly declared their intent to slaughter it inside the Mosque before policemen apprehended them.
The Israeli police, for their part, stated that three Jews tried to slaughter heads of livestock as ritual offerings during the first day of the Passover near al-Qattanin Gate (one of the Aqsa Mosque's gates).
The police claimed they arrested those Jewish men in order to maintain public order.
Israeli police spokesperson Luba al-Samri said in a statement that Israeli police had arrested three right-wing Jewish Israelis on Friday morning for bringing two goats toward the compound's gates as a sacrifice for the Jewish holiday.
Later on Friday afternoon, police arrested four more Jewish Israelis at the holy site's Moroccan Gate who were also on their way to make a sacrifice. All the goats were confiscated, al-Samri said.
"Israeli police are working to allow worshipers of the three religions (Muslims, Christians, and Jews) to practice their religious rituals in Jerusalem and maintain their safety," she said.
Ahead of Passover, right-wing Jewish organizations had urged Jews to flock to Jerusalem's Mount of Olives and the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound to offer sacrifices, Israeli media reported.
Meanwhile, a number of Palestinian worshipers were banned from the holy site following an extensive detention campaign by Israeli forces in occupied East Jerusalem the night before the Jewish holiday.
While one of the Palestinian detainees was transferred into administrative detention, another 55 others were released on the condition that they be banned from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
The head of the Jerusalem Detainees Committee, Amjad Abu Asab, said the al-Qishla police center had released 19 Palestinian were were detained early Friday after banning them from entering al-Aqsa for 15 days.
Meanwhile, Muhammad Mahmoud, a lawyer with Palestinian prisoners' rights group Addameer, told Ma'an that an Israeli court released five previously detained youths on the condition that they be banned from the holy site until May 10, in addition to eight days of house arrest.
Mahmoud said five other youths were banned from the mosque for periods ranging from eight to 15 days, bringing the total banned from the mosque to 29.
The security crack-down comes as the Israeli authorities suspended visits to Jerusalem for Gazans and closed all crossing for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip, amid tightened security measures for the holiday.
Jewish settlers try to slaughter livestock near Aqsa Mosque
In an attempt to defile the Islamic sanctity of the Aqsa Mosque, some Jewish settlers on Friday started their Passover holiday trying to give ritual animal offerings near the Mosque in Occupied Jerusalem.
Local sources reported that two settlers carrying a goat stopped at al-Qattanin market near the Aqsa Mosque and loudly declared their intent to slaughter it inside the Mosque before policemen apprehended them.
The Israeli police, for their part, stated that three Jews tried to slaughter heads of livestock as ritual offerings during the first day of the Passover near al-Qattanin Gate (one of the Aqsa Mosque's gates).
The police claimed they arrested those Jewish men in order to maintain public order.
