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Gush Katif petitioners seek to replace 'biased' judge By Tomer Zarchin Attorneys representing dozens of Gush Katif evacuees last month appealed to Jerusalem Magistrate Court President, Judge Amnon Cohen, with a request to remove Judge Anna Schneider from the handling of petitions relating to the Evacuation-Compensation Law. A similar letter was sent to Cohen by the Committee of Gush Katif Residents. They argue that Schneider, who until three years ago served as the Knesset's legal adviser, took part in 30 sessions of Knesset committees between 2004 and 2005 dealing with the law. She also took part in a tour of the Gaza Strip prior to the evacuation organized by the Knesset's Finance Committee. In September, Judge Cohen determined that Schneider exclusively would handle appeals of the Sela Disengagement Administration's eligibility committee decisions relating to compensation for evacuees. Appeals submitted to her for a decision relate to the actual eligibility of the evacuees for compensation and the amount they are entitled to by virtue of the law. Advertisement In their letter, the attorneys note that Schneider was involved in the Knesset committee discussions dealing with the law, its legality and interpretations. According to the attorneys, the sweeping referral of all cases to Schneider contradicts the practice whereby a judge who previously served in the civil service will not hear a case on a matter that he dealt with prior to his judicial appointment. The letter writers argue that in the Knesset there had been "a rivalry and even some hostility" between the evacuees and Schneider and that in the capacity of her job she took part in internal meetings with government representatives who made clear to her the importance and justness of various clauses of the law. According to Attorney Ziv Simon, who represents evacuees from Gush Katif, he plans to submit a motion to Schneider in the coming days for her to disqualify herself from hearing a sensitive case he is handling. According to Simon, "I have nothing against Schneider personally, but there are so many judges in the Jerusalem Magistrate Court. Was it not possible to assign to these cases a judge who would not be suspected of having a bias toward Gush Katif?" Bookmark to del.icio.us   The King is dead Archeologists find new evidence for King Herod's tomb site. Al-Hasbara Israel launches Arabic YouTube channel to bypass Arab media.

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