 |
||
 |
        |
 |
|
||
| MP3 Radio | Website News Briefs: | |||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
 |
 |
1. Seven Years in Prison for Katzav
by Hillel Fendel
Former President Moshe Katzav was sentenced to seven years in prison
this morning, after having been convicted on two charges of rape.
The three-judge panel of the Tel Aviv District Court, headed by Judge
George Kara, handed down the sentence, though, unlike the conviction, it
was not unanimous. Judges Kara and Miriam Sokolov's view overrode that
of Judge Yehudit Shevah, who favored four years in prison.
This is the first time in Israel's history that a former president,
prime minister or official of comparable standing has been sentenced to
prison. Katzav must also compensate the women who filed the complaints
against him to the total sum of 125,000 shekels.
Katzav, who has professed his innocence throughout the case,
interrupted the reading of the sentence twice, calling out to the judges
in a broken voice, "You know that this trial is a lie, and you are
contributing to the culture of lying. It is all a farce."
He is likely to appeal to the Supreme Court. In any event, his prison
term will not begin immediately, but rather in approximately a month
from now.
Case Started with Blackmail Attempt
Notably, the case was first brought to the attention of the law
enforcement agencies in Israel by Katzav himself. In the summer of 2006,
he complained that one of the women who later filed the complaint
against him was threatening and blackmailing him.
When the conviction was handed down three months ago, one of the judges
wrote in his ruling a sentence that gave some hope to Katzav and his
attorneys: "The misery that the defendant experienced, and the long
period that has passed, are considerations that should be taken into
account when determining his sentence."
His Word Against Hers
The conviction and even the charges themselves were a matter of great
controversy from a legal standpoint, in that no evidence was presented
against Katzav. It was rather a case of his word against hers - and the
judges chose to believe her, convicting the man who was a former Knesset
Member, Transportation Minister and President on two counts of rape.
In fact, it was this element of the case that led several leading
rabbis to write their famous "Rabbis' Letter" in support of Katzav.
Contrary to popular understanding, the rabbis' letter was not only never
meant to be publicized, but did not show support for Katzav as a
convicted rapist - but rather criticism for the manner in which he was
convicted.
Amnon Shomron, Katzav's media advisor, said this morning that Katzav
never enjoyed the presumption of innocence among the media. "There was a
media campaign against him that crossed all red lines," he said.
Legal experts do not expect Katzav to win his appeal in the Supreme
Court, but it is expected that he will turn to the country's highest
court in any event, if only for the sake of his wife, three sons,
daughter and brother.
2. Katzav was Blackmailed and Bullied, Says Former Employee
by Gil Ronen
"Katzav is not lily-white but he certainly did not do anything that
constitutes a criminal offense," said a woman who worked in the
President's Bureau when Moshe Katzav was president. She spoke on Tuesday
to Arutz Sheva's Hebrew-language service. The former employee, a woman,
chose to be identified by the initial "D."
"It was clear to all the women who worked in the bureau that the
relationship between Katzav and the complainant was based on full
consent," D. said. "Katzav was not a rapist and there was no rape."
D. said the trial was, in essence, a lie and a sham. "Katzav was
hard-pressed to prove his innocence, with the heavy pressure and
incitement against him in the press, and many of the women's
organizations that acted against him in every possible media."
"Many women work in the various offices and take advantage of their
status as long as they profit from it," D. explained. "Once they start
making exaggerated demands, it is only a short step to blackmail. That
is what happened with Katzav. Katzav did not act properly, morally
speaking, but certainly did not carry out a criminal offense."
Judge Yehudit Shevach wrote the dissenting opinion in the sentence
handed down by the three-judge panel that tried Katzav. She determined
that Katzav should have received a lighter jail sentence - four years instead of the seven meted out by her colleagues
- but a higher fine. She protested that Katzav had been robbed of the
right to a presumption of innocence by "a long, protracted and
consistent process of being judged by the public and convicted before
his trial. This process manifested itself, among other things, in
protests held in the city square, in gatherings in front of the court,
in the waving of signs with demeaning content, in libelous talkbacks,
and much more, all long before the court had its say."
Judge Shevach accused Menachem Mazuz, who was Attorney General until
earlier this year, of making very poorly-judged statements about the
case. She quoted him as saying in a television interview that Katzav was
a "serial" sex offender even before he decided to press charges against
the former president.
"The kangaroo court to which the public subjected the defendant," she
wrote, "is also a direct result of the instant-trial held by the press,
simultaneously with the trial held in the courtroom..." In this
journalistic "trial," she said, "his verdict was handed down long before
the court did so, and all of this was done with the aid of massive and
unprecedented biased leaks, which no one has had to answer for."
3. Palin Visits Netanyahu's Residence
by Elad Benari and Yoni Kempinski
Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin concluded her visit to Israel
on Monday by visiting Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his family.
The Palin couple arrived at the Prime Minister’s official residence for
a dinner which was defined as personal rather than political and was
based on the Israeli cuisine.
Palin, who is known for her uncompromising support for the State of
Israel, told Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, that she was received warmly
by the Israelis and also told them all about her tour of the country,
which included seeing sites in Jerusalem (such as the Kotel)and
the Dead Sea. In most places, Palin saw firsthand the atmosphere of the
holiday of Purim, and the Netanyahu couple told the potential candidate
for President of the United States all about the Book of Esther and the
traditions of Purim.
Before leaving, Palin signed the Prime Minister’s residence guestbook
and wrote: “Such an amazing country! G-d bless you. May our connection
continue to grow and strengthen.”
4. Greek Orthodox Church Sells Properties to Jewish Group
by Hillel Fendel
A group of Jewish businessmen has purchased “hundreds of dunams
[quarter-acres]” of land from the Greek Orthodox Church. The report, on
the Russian-language http://cursorinfo.co.il site, has not been
corroborated by other sources.
Details on the purchase were sparsely reported. The location was given
as "prestigious Jerusalem neighborhoods," and the price was reported as
approximately 80 million shekels ($22.6 million).
The properties are under lease, registered to the Israel Lands
Authority until the year 2051. Negotiations in the 1990’s to have the
Greek Orthodox Church extend the lease for another century were stymied
by the Palestinian Authority.
Buildings stand on most of the purchased lands.
The Greek Orthodox Church numbers about 100,000 faithful, most of them
Arabs, and is considered the richest church in Israel. The Church
Patriarch has responsibility for its extensive land holdings, which
include the land on which the Knesset was built, the Prime Minister’s
and the President’s official residences, parts of Jerusalem’s wealthiest
neighborhoods, locations in the Old City, and parts of the southern
Jerusalem neighborhood of Har Homa. The acquisitions predate the
establishment of the state of Israel. Some of these properties may have
been sold in the recent deal.
The purchase agreement was signed by the leader of Greek Orthodoxy in
Israel, Theophilus III. His predecessor, Irineos, was ousted because of
accusations that he had planned to make a similar sale.
Theophilus, however, has still not taken a stand on a controversial
sale several years ago of two hotels in the Old City, near the Jaffa
Gate. to Jewish interests. Under heavy Palestinian Authority pressure,
the Church later repudiated the sale, saying that Irineos' trusted
financial advisor Nicholas Papedemes made the deal in Irineos' name, and
then fled the country with the money. Though Irineos said he never
authorized the Jaffa Gate transaction, Papedemes presented a document
signed by Irineos authorizing him to carry out financial deals.
5. State: Jerusalem's 'Small Kotel' is Not a Holy Site
by Gil Ronen
The State's representatives have determined that the "Kotel HaKatan"
("Small Kotel" or "Small Wailing Wall"), a wall which is a continuation
of the Kotel in Jerusalem, is not a holy site. The statement was
submitted to the court as part of the reply to a damages lawsuit filed
by a group of Jews who prayed at the Small Kotel on Rosh HaShana of 5767
(2006).
One member of the group, Elihu Kleiman, was arrested after he blew the
ram's horn, or shofar. The group of Jews who sued for damages also said
they were beaten by police, who denied them their freedom to worship at a
holy site.
The "Small Kotel" is nothing but "an inner courtyard of several
residential homes in the Muslim quarter," the State determined in its
response.
Like the Kotel, the Kotel HaKatan is an exposed face of the original
western wall of the Temple Mount, built by King Herod over 2,000 years
ago. However, compared to its famous "bigger brother," the Small Wall is
less accessible and looks less impressive: it is barely 10 meters long,
less of its height has been exposed and its plaza is much narrower.
In fact, however, the Kotel HaKatan can be considered holier than the
better known Kotel, because it is located 200 yards to the north – and
therefore practically opposite the actual site of the Holy of Holies in
the original Holy Temples.
Attorney Daniel Robins, who represents the group of Jews who were
praying at the site in 2006 and who sued the State, told Arutz Sheva's
Hebrew-language service that Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovich, the Kotel Rabbi,
testified before the court as to the sanctity of the site, but the State
rejected the power of Jewish Law to determine the site's sanctity.
Robins said that he hopes the State is not acting out of political
considerations in rejecting the sanctity of the Kotel HaKatan. He noted
that the site is included in the area that Defense Minister Ehud Barak
wants to hand over to the Arabs in a peace deal.
Work recently began on refurbishing the Small Kotel plaza.
6. Gaza Engineer Tells How He Was Abducted
by Elad Benari
New details were made available on Monday in the story of Dirar Abu Seesi, the Gazan engineer who is currently being held in Israel.
An official statement released on Monday by the Palestinian Center for
Human Rights said: “On 19 February 2011, members of the national
intelligence agency of Israel (Mossad) kidnapped Derar Mousa Yousef Abu
Seesi, 42, while he was in the Ukraine. Mr. Abu Seesi is the Director of
the Operations Department in the Gaza Power Generation Plant. Mossad
then transferred Abu Seesi to Israel.”
The statement added that Abu Seesi is currently being detained in a
prison in Ashkelon, and that on Sunday a lawyer from the Palestinian
Center for Human Rights was able to visit him for the first time.
The statement then goes on to say that Abu Seesi claimed that during
his train trip in Ukraine, three men, two of whom were in military
uniform, approached the cars and asked him to show them his passport.
When he refused, they threatened him and took his passport by force.
According to Abu Seesi, the three then removed him from the train at the
Poltava station, at which point they handcuffed him and put a cover on
his head.
Abu Seesi said that he was then taken to Kiev, where he was kept in an
apartment and questioned. He was then taken to a plane, he said, which
flew for about four to five hours before landing at an airport
somewhere. After half an hour the plane took off again and flew for
about an hour, at which point he found himself in Israel.
Abu Seesi also claimed, according to the statement, that he was denied
the right to meet with an attorney for 14 days, and that this was then
extended by another 11 days. He told the lawyer that met him on Sunday
that throughout the whole time he was under an intensive investigation
without receiving the legal rights that he is entitled to.
An Israeli gag order on the details of the matter was in place until
Sunday, though foreign press outlets had reported ten days earlier that
Abu Seesi was missing and speculated that he was being held by Israel.
Israel's state prosecution informed the Petach Tikva Magistrates' Court
last week that Abu Seesi was indeed in Israeli hands, and the court
subsequently partially lifted the gag order. The matter reached the
court after a "human rights" group funded by the New Israel Fund filed a
motion requiring that the gag order be lifted.
Some reports on the issue, which confirmed that Abu Seesi had been a
senior engineer in Gaza's electric company and power station, quoted
Gaza sources that said he was considered loyal to Hamas. Others denied
he had been politically active.
It has also been assessed that Ukrainian authorities probably
cooperated in his arrest and transfer to Israel. Ukrainian Prime
Minister Mikhail Azerov, who visited Israel last week, avoided questions
on the affair and said only that his government was looking into it.
7. Poll: 87% of Israelis Believe U.S. Jews Are Essential to Israel
by Elad Benari
A new survey conducted among the Israeli public has found that an
overwhelming majority of Israelis believe that the American Jewish
community is essential to the existence of Israel.
The poll was conducted by Teleseker (TNS) in advance of the Ruderman
Fellows Program, a new initiative designed to educate members of the
Israeli Knesset about the American Jewish community. The program,
presented in conjunction with Brandeis University, will be officially
launched in the Knesset on Tuesday.
The survey was initiated by the Ruderman Foundation and found that 82%
of the Israeli public supports the initiative. It also found that an
overwhelming 87% of the public in Israel perceives the American Jewish
community as essential for the security and political existence of the
State of Israel.
“The program aims to foster awareness and understanding of the richness
and vitality of the American Jewish community and expose the political
leaders to the variety of opinions and pluralism which characterize it,”
explained Jay Ruderman, president of the Ruderman Foundation and
founder of the Fellows Program. “In light of the crucial importance of
relations between Israel and the United States, and especially in light
of the recent social and political changes in the Middle East, the most
important thing right now is to improve understanding and communication
between the leadership in Israel and the Jewish community in America.”
Ruderman pointed out some additional findings of the survey, which
found that 73% of the Israeli public believes that there is much to
learn from the religious pluralism in the Jewish community in the U.S.
He noted that the Ruderman Fellows Program “also exposes participants to
a variety of opinions and pluralism that characterize the American
Jewish community.”
The first Fellows Program will be held in Boston and New York between
April 3 and 8. The participants in the first round of the program are MK
Avi Dichter (Kadima), MK Ronit Tirosh (Kadima), MK Tzipi Hotovely
(Likud), MK Carmel Shama (Likud), Eitan Cabel (Labor), and MK Daniel Ben
Simon (Labor).
The Ruderman Fellows were selected in conjunction with a special
advisory committee that included Environment Minister Gilad Erdan
(Likud), former Social Affairs Minister Isaac Herzog (Labor) and former
Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter (Kadima).
8. IAF Retaliates for Gaza Terror Attacks on Southern Israel
by Chana Ya'ar
The Israel Air Force struck several Hamas-linked terrorists and bombed a
smuggler tunnel Monday night in Gaza in a joint IDF-ISA (Israel
Security Agency/Shin Bet) activity. A direct hit was confirmed,
according to the IDF Spokesman's Office.
The terrorist tunnel was intended to be used to sneak operatives into
Israel to carry out attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers.
The attacks came in retaliation for the barrage of rocket and mortar
attacks fired by Gaza terrorists at southern Israeli communities over
the past week.
“The IDF will respond with strength and determination to any attempt to
terrorize the citizens of Israel,” the IDF Spokesman said.
On Sunday evening, a Grad Katyusha missile struck the southern Israeli coastal city of Ashkelon. The missile exploded in a residential neighborhood in the city. Two people suffered shock, and one required hospital care.
One day earlier, Hamas terrorists fired a barrage of more than 50 mortars at southern Israel. One shell struck a home. Two people were lightly wounded in the attack.
More than 130 mortar shells, Kassam rockets and Grad missiles fired
from Gaza have exploded in southern Israeli communities since the
beginning of January.
Of those, 56 were fired in this week alone.
More Website News:
 |
F-15 Crash in Libya Ascribed to Malfunction  |
|
PA News Agency: A Survey of Israeli "Incitement" |
|
Yemen's Saleh Threatens 'Bloody' Civil War |
|
Israeli Research Reveals How to Reduce Risk of Heart Attack  |
|
Obama Admits the New Reality of US Relations with Latin America |
