25 dec 2017
After a ten-year saga in which the Israeli Ministry of Justice refused to pursue charges against an Israeli police officer who admitted urinating in the face of a Palestinian prisoner, the Ministry finally indicted the officer.
The indictment came only after the victim, Mohammad Warani, took a lawsuit all the way to the Israeli High Court challenging the Israeli Justice Ministry’s decision to close the case.
The High Court ruled in favor of Warani, ordering the Justice Department to file charges against the police officer, Ya’akov Ben-Nissim Cohen.
In November 2007, Cohen took Mohammad Warani to a police station in the illegal Israeli settlement of Ma’ale Adumim, where he set the handcuffed, blindfolded man on a toilet and then climbed a shelf outside the stall and urinated in the man’s face.
According to prosecutors with the Police Investigations Department of the Justice Ministry, the officer “urinated on the face of the plaintiff, as the plaintiff screamed and shook his head from side to side”.
The indictment also stated, “In the above-described actions, the defendant psychologically abused a helpless victim”.
Even though the indictment was filed on November 1st, it was only made public on Sunday.
The incident took place ten years ago, and the officer involved has faced no repercussions during that time. This is despite the fact that he admitted to “an unusual incident” after his DNA was found in urine on the victim’s clothing.
The Justice Ministry decided to close the case against Cohen, but Warani challenged that decision in court. In February 2017, Warani received the very first ruling in his favor, at the Israeli High Court.
The indictment came only after the victim, Mohammad Warani, took a lawsuit all the way to the Israeli High Court challenging the Israeli Justice Ministry’s decision to close the case.
The High Court ruled in favor of Warani, ordering the Justice Department to file charges against the police officer, Ya’akov Ben-Nissim Cohen.
In November 2007, Cohen took Mohammad Warani to a police station in the illegal Israeli settlement of Ma’ale Adumim, where he set the handcuffed, blindfolded man on a toilet and then climbed a shelf outside the stall and urinated in the man’s face.
According to prosecutors with the Police Investigations Department of the Justice Ministry, the officer “urinated on the face of the plaintiff, as the plaintiff screamed and shook his head from side to side”.
The indictment also stated, “In the above-described actions, the defendant psychologically abused a helpless victim”.
Even though the indictment was filed on November 1st, it was only made public on Sunday.
The incident took place ten years ago, and the officer involved has faced no repercussions during that time. This is despite the fact that he admitted to “an unusual incident” after his DNA was found in urine on the victim’s clothing.
The Justice Ministry decided to close the case against Cohen, but Warani challenged that decision in court. In February 2017, Warani received the very first ruling in his favor, at the Israeli High Court.
22 dec 2017
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Incident recorded by Hebron resident shows group of IDF soldiers randomly hitting an arrested Palestinian in the city at the conclusion of a 'day of rage' two weeks ago after President Trump's Jerusalem declaration; probe handed over to military Criminal Investigation Division.
Military Police have launched an investigation into an incident that took place in Hebron two weeks ago and that was captured on camera showing a group of IDF soldiers hitting a handcuffed Palestinian. The incident occurred at the conclusion of violent unrest on Friday December 8 staged by Palestinians against Israeli security forces, |
following US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Soldiers can be seen in the footage, filmed from a window of a building nearby, surrounding the handcuffed Palestinian, as some begin randomly striking and kicking him as he is being led to a checkpoint.
After troops arrested one of the protesters, the left-wing group B'Tselem recorded the force used by the soldiers, prompting the IDF to announce that it was looking into the matter. Following a preliminary investigation, it was sent on to the military Criminal Investigation Division.
According to B’Tselem, the scene was recorded by a Hebron resident from his home when he heard the Palestinian shouting.
Israeli security forces are preparing Friday for yet another declared ‘day of rage’ in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip which have become expected features of the conclusion of Muslim afternoon prayers since Trump’s Jerusalem declaration.
Violent clashes broke out Wednesday afternoon between around a thousand Palestinian rioters and Israeli Border Police in Qalandiya in another so-called day of rage declared in the West Bank by Palestinian factions, including Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party.
Last Friday, three Palestinian rioters and one terrorist were shot dead while about 160 more were wounded on Friday, medical officials said, as "day of rage" protests over Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem entered their second week.
Soldiers can be seen in the footage, filmed from a window of a building nearby, surrounding the handcuffed Palestinian, as some begin randomly striking and kicking him as he is being led to a checkpoint.
After troops arrested one of the protesters, the left-wing group B'Tselem recorded the force used by the soldiers, prompting the IDF to announce that it was looking into the matter. Following a preliminary investigation, it was sent on to the military Criminal Investigation Division.
According to B’Tselem, the scene was recorded by a Hebron resident from his home when he heard the Palestinian shouting.
Israeli security forces are preparing Friday for yet another declared ‘day of rage’ in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip which have become expected features of the conclusion of Muslim afternoon prayers since Trump’s Jerusalem declaration.
Violent clashes broke out Wednesday afternoon between around a thousand Palestinian rioters and Israeli Border Police in Qalandiya in another so-called day of rage declared in the West Bank by Palestinian factions, including Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party.
Last Friday, three Palestinian rioters and one terrorist were shot dead while about 160 more were wounded on Friday, medical officials said, as "day of rage" protests over Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem entered their second week.
20 dec 2017
Israeli who shot dead one of the Palestinian rioters who hurled stones at a group of teens on a hike near the village was acting in self defense, police determine; case passed on to State Attorney's Office.
The police have concluded their investigation into the incident in Qursa, when a Palestinian rioter was shot dead by an Israeli settler, determining the shooting was done in self defense, and that there is no sufficient evidence to warrant prosecution.
The case was passed on to the State Attorney's Office on Wednesday.
Earlier this month, a group of 20 Israeli teens hiking near the village of Qusra came under attack by a group of Palestinian rioters who started hurling stones at them.
The two parents who accompanied them rushed the teens to a nearby cave to hide, while one father shot and killed one of the rioters, 47-year-old Mahmoud Za’al Odeh.
"Dozens of Palestinians threw stones and rocks at us, we were in a life-threatening situation, and we were trying to protect the children," said the father, whose son was among the group. "I had to shoot in self-defense. I hope common sense prevails, and people understand what happened here."
After the shooting, dozens of Palestinians surrounded the cave where the teens were hiding and continued throwing stones.
The Israelis were eventually rescued by IDF forces that arrived at the scene.
Following the incident, the father was questioned on suspicion of causing death by negligence.
Some 20 Palestinians suspected of taking part in the violent rioting and throwing stones were arrested, and one was charged with attempted murder on Monday. The court extended the remand of the other suspects.
Attorney Adi Kidar of Honenu, who represents the two fathers, welcomed the police announcement. "My clients acted in line with the law, as any citizen in clear and immediate danger is expected to act. In an ideal situation, the fathers who accompanied the bar mitzvah trip would've received a certificate of appreciation from day one. They risked their lives in a very serious incident to protect the kids and themselves.
Unfortunately, they found themselves under investigation. I'm glad the Israel Police announced today that their version has been checked and accepted. Now we expect the police to put their efforts into bringing all of the rioters to justice."
The police have concluded their investigation into the incident in Qursa, when a Palestinian rioter was shot dead by an Israeli settler, determining the shooting was done in self defense, and that there is no sufficient evidence to warrant prosecution.
The case was passed on to the State Attorney's Office on Wednesday.
Earlier this month, a group of 20 Israeli teens hiking near the village of Qusra came under attack by a group of Palestinian rioters who started hurling stones at them.
The two parents who accompanied them rushed the teens to a nearby cave to hide, while one father shot and killed one of the rioters, 47-year-old Mahmoud Za’al Odeh.
"Dozens of Palestinians threw stones and rocks at us, we were in a life-threatening situation, and we were trying to protect the children," said the father, whose son was among the group. "I had to shoot in self-defense. I hope common sense prevails, and people understand what happened here."
After the shooting, dozens of Palestinians surrounded the cave where the teens were hiding and continued throwing stones.
The Israelis were eventually rescued by IDF forces that arrived at the scene.
Following the incident, the father was questioned on suspicion of causing death by negligence.
Some 20 Palestinians suspected of taking part in the violent rioting and throwing stones were arrested, and one was charged with attempted murder on Monday. The court extended the remand of the other suspects.
Attorney Adi Kidar of Honenu, who represents the two fathers, welcomed the police announcement. "My clients acted in line with the law, as any citizen in clear and immediate danger is expected to act. In an ideal situation, the fathers who accompanied the bar mitzvah trip would've received a certificate of appreciation from day one. They risked their lives in a very serious incident to protect the kids and themselves.
Unfortunately, they found themselves under investigation. I'm glad the Israel Police announced today that their version has been checked and accepted. Now we expect the police to put their efforts into bringing all of the rioters to justice."
19 dec 2017
Israeli military prosecution filed an indictment on Monday, against Mohammed Wadi, Palestinian from Nablus, accusing him of attempting to murder an extremist Jewish settler.
Meanwhile, Israeli police are reportedly accepting a settler’s claim that he killed a Palestinian farmer, in the same incident, in an act of self-defense.
The Israeli military prosecution, which requested extension of Wadi’s remand detention, claimed, in the indictment against Wadi, that he entered a cave where settlers were hiding and threw stones at them from a close distance.
In addition, a spokesperson for the Israeli army claimed that Wadi threw one of the stones at the head of a settler and injured him.
At the end of November, Israeli occupation forces abducted 19 Palestinians over claims of taking part in the incident. The occupation reportedly plans to detain more Palestinians in relation to the incident.
The incident took place when a group of Israeli settlers raided Palestinian farms in the village of Qusra in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus and one of them shot dead the Palestinian farmer Mahmoud Ahmed Odeh, 48.
Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman praised the settler, who opened fire at the Palestinian and killed him.
Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported, according to Days of Palestine, that Israeli police are likely to accept the settler’s claim that he opened fire at the Palestinian in self-defense.
Haaretz also reported that the settler claims he opened fire in the air once, and that he did not see any Palestinian causalities caused by his fire.
Arab48.com said that these claims contradict the police report that he opened fire in an act of self-defense.
12/04/17 Settlement Council Honors Odeh’s Killer
Meanwhile, Israeli police are reportedly accepting a settler’s claim that he killed a Palestinian farmer, in the same incident, in an act of self-defense.
The Israeli military prosecution, which requested extension of Wadi’s remand detention, claimed, in the indictment against Wadi, that he entered a cave where settlers were hiding and threw stones at them from a close distance.
In addition, a spokesperson for the Israeli army claimed that Wadi threw one of the stones at the head of a settler and injured him.
At the end of November, Israeli occupation forces abducted 19 Palestinians over claims of taking part in the incident. The occupation reportedly plans to detain more Palestinians in relation to the incident.
The incident took place when a group of Israeli settlers raided Palestinian farms in the village of Qusra in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus and one of them shot dead the Palestinian farmer Mahmoud Ahmed Odeh, 48.
Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman praised the settler, who opened fire at the Palestinian and killed him.
Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported, according to Days of Palestine, that Israeli police are likely to accept the settler’s claim that he opened fire at the Palestinian in self-defense.
Haaretz also reported that the settler claims he opened fire in the air once, and that he did not see any Palestinian causalities caused by his fire.
Arab48.com said that these claims contradict the police report that he opened fire in an act of self-defense.
12/04/17 Settlement Council Honors Odeh’s Killer
12 dec 2017
Palestinian shot, seriously wounded by IDF force near Palestinian city of Salfit; IDF force involved says he was seen to be tampering with Gaza border fence, reached into pocket suspiciously; fearing he was carrying knife, force shot him; search later found no weapons on his person; IDF says investigation is underway.
The IDF announced Tuesday afternoon it will conduct an inquiry into the shooting of a Palestinian who was later found to be unarmed near the Palestinian city of Salfit, not far from Ariel.
Initially, the army reported an attempted stabbing in the Efraim Territorial Brigade that was foiled without any soldiers being harmed. The Palestinian who was shot was said to be in serious condition.
Additional information put out by the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said that "Several Palestinians suspected of an attempt to damage the border fence near Ariel drew close to an IDF force. One of them placed his hand in his pocket and appeared to be drawing a knife. The force shot at him in retaliation."
It was also conveyed the suspect received treatment on-site by the IDF force and was taken to a hospital for further treatment.
An initial inquiry turned up the force—belonging to the Kfir Brigade—ascertained the Palestinian was damaging the border fence. The Palestinian then approached one of the force's soldiers, it was claimed, and put his hand into his pocket suspiciously. The force rapidly responded by opening fire at the suspect, seriously wounding him. A search on his person then found he was not armed.
The army's Criminal Investigation Division (CID) conducted an inquiry two months ago into an incident where Givati soldiers fired on a car found to be driven suspiciously, killing its driver Mohammad Moussa near Halamish in Binyamin.
Moussa's sister Latifa, present in the car with him at the time, was wounded and taken to a Ramallah hospital for treatment. An inspection of the car found no weapons and the incident was therefore not deemed an attempted terrorist attack. The soldiers involved were asked to provide their account simultaneous to the command inquiry.
The soldiers claimed they had felt threatened and were forewarned of a suspicious vehicle present in the sector, which they claimed constituted the reason for the shooting.
Hours after the incident, however, the IDF announced that "An initial inquiry into the incident near the village of Nabi Salih turned up the force stationed in the square received a report of a vehicle driving erratically and was asked to flag it down. Obtaining a visual on the car, the force stepped onto the road and ordered it to stop.
"When the driver failed to comply, the force retaliated by opening fire. As a result, the driver was killed and another occupant was wounded. Investigation is ongoing."
The IDF announced Tuesday afternoon it will conduct an inquiry into the shooting of a Palestinian who was later found to be unarmed near the Palestinian city of Salfit, not far from Ariel.
Initially, the army reported an attempted stabbing in the Efraim Territorial Brigade that was foiled without any soldiers being harmed. The Palestinian who was shot was said to be in serious condition.
Additional information put out by the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said that "Several Palestinians suspected of an attempt to damage the border fence near Ariel drew close to an IDF force. One of them placed his hand in his pocket and appeared to be drawing a knife. The force shot at him in retaliation."
It was also conveyed the suspect received treatment on-site by the IDF force and was taken to a hospital for further treatment.
An initial inquiry turned up the force—belonging to the Kfir Brigade—ascertained the Palestinian was damaging the border fence. The Palestinian then approached one of the force's soldiers, it was claimed, and put his hand into his pocket suspiciously. The force rapidly responded by opening fire at the suspect, seriously wounding him. A search on his person then found he was not armed.
The army's Criminal Investigation Division (CID) conducted an inquiry two months ago into an incident where Givati soldiers fired on a car found to be driven suspiciously, killing its driver Mohammad Moussa near Halamish in Binyamin.
Moussa's sister Latifa, present in the car with him at the time, was wounded and taken to a Ramallah hospital for treatment. An inspection of the car found no weapons and the incident was therefore not deemed an attempted terrorist attack. The soldiers involved were asked to provide their account simultaneous to the command inquiry.
The soldiers claimed they had felt threatened and were forewarned of a suspicious vehicle present in the sector, which they claimed constituted the reason for the shooting.
Hours after the incident, however, the IDF announced that "An initial inquiry into the incident near the village of Nabi Salih turned up the force stationed in the square received a report of a vehicle driving erratically and was asked to flag it down. Obtaining a visual on the car, the force stepped onto the road and ordered it to stop.
"When the driver failed to comply, the force retaliated by opening fire. As a result, the driver was killed and another occupant was wounded. Investigation is ongoing."
11 dec 2017
US authorities seek extradition of Thomas Joseph Gross, 63, suspected of killing his mother Ina Gross in Lakewood Ranch, Florida in 2012; he allegedly sedated her, then stabbed her to death in her car.
The police arrested on Sunday Herzliya resident Thomas Joseph Gross, 63, who is accused of murdering his mother, Ina Gross, in Florida in 2012, the State Attorney's Office said. The United States has filed a request for his extradition.
Gross, who was visiting his mother, allegedly drugged her and stabbed her to death in her car outside her Lakewood Ranch home on January 8, 2012, the night before his planned return to Israel.
The next morning he called 911, saying he had found her body, and tried to portray the scene as a suicide or robbery gone wrong.
The extradition process commenced after Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked instructed the State Attorney to bring Gross before the district court to declare him fit for deportation to the US.
Yarkon District Police worked together with Interpol to arrest Gross, a father of three, whose remand was extended by eight days on Monday.
Gross's sister, Ellen Gerth, is convinced he killed his mother in order to hide the money he received from the aged widow.
"It’s incredibly saddening to me that the person who brutally took my mother’s life is able to wake up every morning to the sunrise and go to bed every night to the setting sun. He doesn’t deserve to be breathing air outside of a prison," she told the Herald Tribune in January.
Regarding the judicial process and the extradition request, Gerth said: "Many people have thought nothing is going to happen, that Tom will not be served justice. The process is long. It has been challenging. It is hugely detailed. There are many players involved — local, state, federal, international — but that’s how the process works. I am convinced, given the body of evidence, that Tom will receive his punishment for what he’s done to my beautiful mom."
Gerth, who described her mother as her best friend, urged her brother to end the ongoing family agony. "My advice to him would be for him to acknowledge that his charade is over and that he will be preventing his family from enduring further humiliation if he were to simply turn himself in with the understanding that he knows precisely what he did to our mother," she told the Tribune.
According to the Daily Mail, a forensics investigation of Gross's vehicle revealed remnants of his mother's vomit induced by the intake of strong sleeping pills.
The attorney for Thomas Gross, Eyal Besserglick, told Ynet: "After an investigation, my client was released without restrictions by the US authorities. His passport was returned, and he was told he is not a suspect. He traveled to the United States for an event for his father, and (Thomas Gross) was the one who tried to resuscitate his mother. He was the one who called the police, and he underwent a polygraph that confirmed his version of the events.
"Even though he has an attorney in the United States, he was never told he was wanted for investigation. The center of his life, his wife and kids, is in Israel. We will fight his unjustified extradition," said Besserglick , who claimed that Gross's sister is trying to sue him for inheritance money. "He never fled."
The police arrested on Sunday Herzliya resident Thomas Joseph Gross, 63, who is accused of murdering his mother, Ina Gross, in Florida in 2012, the State Attorney's Office said. The United States has filed a request for his extradition.
Gross, who was visiting his mother, allegedly drugged her and stabbed her to death in her car outside her Lakewood Ranch home on January 8, 2012, the night before his planned return to Israel.
The next morning he called 911, saying he had found her body, and tried to portray the scene as a suicide or robbery gone wrong.
The extradition process commenced after Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked instructed the State Attorney to bring Gross before the district court to declare him fit for deportation to the US.
Yarkon District Police worked together with Interpol to arrest Gross, a father of three, whose remand was extended by eight days on Monday.
Gross's sister, Ellen Gerth, is convinced he killed his mother in order to hide the money he received from the aged widow.
"It’s incredibly saddening to me that the person who brutally took my mother’s life is able to wake up every morning to the sunrise and go to bed every night to the setting sun. He doesn’t deserve to be breathing air outside of a prison," she told the Herald Tribune in January.
Regarding the judicial process and the extradition request, Gerth said: "Many people have thought nothing is going to happen, that Tom will not be served justice. The process is long. It has been challenging. It is hugely detailed. There are many players involved — local, state, federal, international — but that’s how the process works. I am convinced, given the body of evidence, that Tom will receive his punishment for what he’s done to my beautiful mom."
Gerth, who described her mother as her best friend, urged her brother to end the ongoing family agony. "My advice to him would be for him to acknowledge that his charade is over and that he will be preventing his family from enduring further humiliation if he were to simply turn himself in with the understanding that he knows precisely what he did to our mother," she told the Tribune.
According to the Daily Mail, a forensics investigation of Gross's vehicle revealed remnants of his mother's vomit induced by the intake of strong sleeping pills.
The attorney for Thomas Gross, Eyal Besserglick, told Ynet: "After an investigation, my client was released without restrictions by the US authorities. His passport was returned, and he was told he is not a suspect. He traveled to the United States for an event for his father, and (Thomas Gross) was the one who tried to resuscitate his mother. He was the one who called the police, and he underwent a polygraph that confirmed his version of the events.
"Even though he has an attorney in the United States, he was never told he was wanted for investigation. The center of his life, his wife and kids, is in Israel. We will fight his unjustified extradition," said Besserglick , who claimed that Gross's sister is trying to sue him for inheritance money. "He never fled."
9 dec 2017
Givati squad commander filmed stealing apples for himself and his soldiers from fruit stand belonging to Palestinian in Hebron; 'This behavior is not in line with what is expected from a soldier and commander in the IDF. The commander was suspended and will face disciplinary action,' IDF says.
An IDF squad commander was suspended after being filmed Saturday stealing from a Palestinian fruit stand in Hebron.
A force from the Givati Brigade was on operational duty in Hebron securing the Jewish settlement in the city during the "days of rage" announced after US President Donald Trump's declaration recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
The squad commander was filmed taking apples for himself and his soldiers from a stand owned by a Palestinian who left amid the violence in the city.
The IDF Spokesman's Office said this was an abnormal incident, which does not reflect on the conduct of the forces in the West Bank in general and this weekend in particular.
"This behavior is not in line with what is expected from a soldier and commander in the IDF. The incident was investigated, and the commander was suspended and will face disciplinary action," the IDF said.
"The Givati Brigade's battalion has been operating in the Hebron sector for several months, and its soldiers are constantly instructed to avoid this kind of incidents, as they are prone to encounter them more than any other battalion in Judea and Samaria, due to the high level of friction with the Palestinian and the Jewish populations," the IDF added.
Troops from the same battalion were documented on Friday as well in a photo that went viral, showing some 20 soldiers surrounding a young Palestinian who took part in the violent rioting in the city. In this instance, the soldiers had the full backing of their commanding officers after having caught the main instigator and bringing him in for questioning.
An IDF squad commander was suspended after being filmed Saturday stealing from a Palestinian fruit stand in Hebron.
A force from the Givati Brigade was on operational duty in Hebron securing the Jewish settlement in the city during the "days of rage" announced after US President Donald Trump's declaration recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
The squad commander was filmed taking apples for himself and his soldiers from a stand owned by a Palestinian who left amid the violence in the city.
The IDF Spokesman's Office said this was an abnormal incident, which does not reflect on the conduct of the forces in the West Bank in general and this weekend in particular.
"This behavior is not in line with what is expected from a soldier and commander in the IDF. The incident was investigated, and the commander was suspended and will face disciplinary action," the IDF said.
"The Givati Brigade's battalion has been operating in the Hebron sector for several months, and its soldiers are constantly instructed to avoid this kind of incidents, as they are prone to encounter them more than any other battalion in Judea and Samaria, due to the high level of friction with the Palestinian and the Jewish populations," the IDF added.
Troops from the same battalion were documented on Friday as well in a photo that went viral, showing some 20 soldiers surrounding a young Palestinian who took part in the violent rioting in the city. In this instance, the soldiers had the full backing of their commanding officers after having caught the main instigator and bringing him in for questioning.
