The Israeli High Court of Justice ruled on Thursday in favor for allowing extremist Israeli right wingers to protest in Um AL Fahim Arab city. The Israeli police proposed that the protest should be held on the southern entrance of the city as holding it in its center could lead to clashes but the court rejected the proposal.

On Wednesday, right wing extremists filed an appeal to the high court to allow them to protest in the center of Um Al Fahim and the prosecution said that it does not intend to bar them from protesting as “the protest falls under the freedom of expression”.

The prosecution said that it suggested that the protest should be held on the southern entrance of the city in order to ensure that the protestors receive “sufficient police protection ”.

The prosecution filed the appeal to the high court and said that such a protest could lead to serious clashes with the Arab resident, and that these clashes will most likely cause harm to the residents and to property.

Also, the prosecution told the High Court that it objects to the request of Itamar Gafeer, one of the extremist right wingers, to allow him and other extremists to protest  in the center of Um Al Fahim. The prosecution suggested holding the protest in a different location.

The extremists were offered to hold the protest on the southern entrance of the city and along  its border line in order to avoid clashes and casualties.

Ben Gafeer is believed to having a role  in a series of attempts to attack the house an Arab resident who was killed after he attacked a religious school in Jerusalem. He and other right winger attempted to demolish the house of the Arab resident and clashes ensued in the area; several residents and policemen were wounded.

Arab member of Knesset, Mohammad Baraka, said that the court’s decision to allow the extremists to protest in Um Al Fahim crosses all red lines and is considered “playing with fire”.

Baraka stated that those extremists are members of the outlawed Kaha terrorist movement.  “This group should be outlawed, but instead it is ongoing with its criminal actions, and is receiving official protection from the authorities”, Baraka added.

Arab member of Knesset, Jamal Zahalka, also slammed the court’s decision and said that “racism is illegal in all democratic countries, but Israel is bragging that it is a haven of democracy in the Middle East while its courts are protecting racism and racists”.

Zahalka added that this group should not be underestimated and should be countered. He further stated that the residents have the moral responsibility to bar this group from entering Um Al Fahim.

The Israeli Central Court in Jerusalem sentenced, Yanai Lazla, an Israeli border policeman to 6.5 years for killing Omran Abu Hamdiyya, a Palestinian resident from the southern West Bank city of Hebron. Abu Hamdiyya was kidnapped and placed in a military jeep and as the jeep sped away Lazla and three other policemen threw him out.

On December 30, 2002, approximately at 8 P.M Abu Hamdiyya was near his home along with his friends when a border police jeep stopped near them, and the policemen forced Abu Hamdiyya into the jeep and sped away.

Less the forty minutes later, the friends of Abu Hamdiyya found his body in on the roadside near the Industrial Zone.

The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories (B’Tselem) reported that Abu Hamdiyya was first beaten and abused by the soldiers, and when he was thrown out of the speeding jeep, his head struck the pavement with great force causing instant death.

The case against the soldiers was filed by B’Tselem and the Al Haq Palestinian Human Rights Group.

B’Tselem said that the policemen also abused several other Palestinians in Hebron. The Center questioned whether a sentence of 6.5 years is enough for a crime as grave as manslaughter.

“It is questionable whether a sentence of 6½ years is compatible with an offense as grave as manslaughter. But bringing the policeman to justice, even if only partially, is a rare instance in which the system of justice in Israel meets its obligation to hold security forces accountable for illegally harming Palestinians. As a rule, the authorities refrain from enforcing the law on soldiers and police officers who commit crimes of violence. Presumably, the tragic results of this case, together with the high profile it was given by the media, led the authorities to deviate from their custom and prosecute the policemen”, B’Tselem reported.

 B’Tselem also said several acts of abuse carries by Israeli soldiers and placement in the occupied territories go unpunished as these acts of violence and abuse are not properly probed and many cases even do not make it to the court room.

“ Since the beginning of the intifada, in 2000, B'Tselem has reported to the Department for the Investigation of Police (DIP) 130 cases of police violence against Palestinians (not including shooting cases)”, B’Tselem said,  “Of these, DIP opened 100 investigations, which led to the prosecution of only nine police officers and disciplinary proceedings against only four police officers”.

The Arabs48 news website reported that the four policemen were arrested and charges were filed against them on May 1, 2003.

The charges against them included killing Abu Hamdiyya and obstructing the investigation.  The Probe Committee which was in charge of investigating the incident stated that the four policemen misused their authority and carried acts that harmed civilians and properties in Hebron.

“The indictment against the four policemen stated, in part, that they “went on a campaign of abuse and cruelty against residents of the city, misusing their authority, by engaging in violent actions intended to cause physical injury and to damage property, their objective being to injure, humiliate, and harass… During their journeys on the streets of the city. . . the defendants put into the jeep local residents that they came upon by chance and ordered them to jump from the jeep while it was moving. One of the local persons who refused to do this while the jeep was moving at very high speed was pushed out of the jeep by the defendants, fell onto the road, striking his head, and died as a result… In addition, the defendants grabbed other local persons and beat them, a club and rifle butt being among the means used, stole property, and threw tear gas and stun grenades at local residents for no reason.” B’Tselem reported.

The committee added that the soldiers kidnapped several random residents and forced them to jump from their speeding jeep. Omran was ordered to jump from the speeding jeep and when he refused, the soldiers threw him out of the speeding vehicle.

The soldiers also abducted several civilians and struck them with batons and weapons; they also stole property and threw gas bombs and concussion grenades at a number of residents without any reason.

On May 16, 2003, Israeli Newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth published an interview with the driver of the jeep Basim Wahbi, one of the four policemen, who revealed details of the incident.

Wahbi said that while he was driving the jeep on high speed (70-80 kilometers/hour) he heard one of the soldiers identified as Shahar ordering Omran “to step out of the jeep”.

Omran stood in the middle of the jeep and held onto a belt attached to the roof of the jeep while Shahar and another soldier identified as Yenai, pushed him out.  

“He fell to the ground, I heard his head hitting the ground, I heard his head cracking”, Wahbi said, “I wanted to slow down abut they shouted at me and told me to drive back to the base, and said ‘he is dead, he is dead’”.

Wahbi added that after arriving at the base they all agreed to create a fake statement and stick by it.

After the army probed the incident, the four were arrested and were charged on May 1, 2003, with killing Omran, abusing three other Palestinians and obstructing the investigation.

On May 6, 2003, charges of abuse against Palestinian civilians were filed against eleven other policemen who served in the same unit.

On September 22, 2005, Wahbi was sentenced to 4.5 years after he was found guilty of aiding the soldiers who committed the crime.

On 28 April 2008, Yanai Lazla, who threw Abu Hamdiyya out of the jeep, and was convicted of manslaughter and other offenses, was sentenced to 6½ years’ imprisonment. The proceedings against the other two defendants continue.

  

  

The Israeli military forces invaded the West Bank city of Hebron on Thursday dawn kidnapping 2 civilians local sources reported.

Troops searched and ransacked Mahmud Jamjum aged 22, and Salamah Abu Hadeed aged 40 before kidnapping them. The two were taken to an unknown destination.

Moreover, a group of Israeli settlers from Kiryat Arba' settlement in Hebron attacked Wassim Jaber by throwing stones at him causing him scratches and an injury in the head. He was immediately transferred to a local hospital.

Most of the settlers attacks go unreported or documented, a number of settler assaults against Palestinians have been documented on tape especially in Hebron.

The Israeli military forces invaded the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Thursday dawn kidnapping 7 civilians, as reported by local sources.

Israeli military vehicles invaded the city and 2 nearby villages in addition to Aida refugee camp.

Eyewitnesses reported that 10 Israeli military vehicles invaded the village of Beit Ta’mar southern the city of Bethlehem. Troops searched and ransacked 4 houses with the help of dogs after forcing the civilians out of their houses for couple of ours.

Moreover, 5 Israeli military vehicles invaded the village of Tqu’, kidnapped Kamil Al Badan aged 39 after searching his house, troops took him to an unknown detention camp for investigation.

The Israeli military forces also invaded Aida refugee camp, located north of Bethlehem, and kidnapped Imad Ayyad aged 35 taking him to an unknown destination.