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Last update - 12:31 16/07/2009
10 police officers hurt as Jerusalem riots continue into the night
By Jonathan Lis, Haaretz Correspondent, and Haaretz Service
Tags: Israel News, Jerusalem 

Riots in Jerusalem over the recent arrest of an ultra-Orthodox woman suspected of starving her 3-year-old son escalated as demonstrators concluded their third consecutive day of violent protests with no indication that they were planning to ease up.

So far ten police officers have been lightly hurt by stone throwers. Three of them were taken to the emergency room at Hadassah hospital after sustaining head injuries. All in all, hundreds of police officers participated in the dispersal efforts, including officers called up from other districts. 20 demonstrators were detained for questioning.


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The riots erupted Tuesday when the news of the arrest became public. The ultra-Orthodox community was outraged that the woman, who belongs to one of the most extreme ultra-Orthodox sects, was in custody, rejecting suspicions that she had systematically starved her son over the course of the last two years. The boy is currently hospitalized in serious condition and weighing only seven kilograms.

Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox protesters hurled rocks at police late Thursday night on Highway 1 near the Haredi neighborhood of Beit Yisrael. Police arrested dozens of people and used water cannons to disperse the crowds.

Hundreds of people also arrived at a rally, in support of the mother, held at Jerusalem's Shabbat Square. The demonstrators called out insults against Hadassah hospital, where the ill boy is recuperating.

Earlier Thursday, Jerusalem District police chief Aharon Franco voiced harsh criticism over the failure of the Haredi leadership to speak out against the violent riots.

The riots escalated Thursday morning when protesters threw rocks at several sites within the city, set fire to garbage receptacles and vandalized traffic lights. The damage caused by the riots has been estimated at NIS 200,000 so far, in addition to the injuries of several municipal workers who were hurt by stone throwers.

"There is not one sane voice within the Haredi community that will rise up and cry out against this phenomenon," Franco said. "They have rabbis, they have leadership, and I haven't heard the rabbis or sages crying out."

Franco warned of the dangers inherent in the riots, saying "they tore apart traffic lights, and without traffic lights we could see fatal traffic accidents. They dismantled the mechanisms in electric poles, and people could be electrocuted. I haven't found anywhere in the Bible where it says these things are permissible."

"We could have released the woman from custody a week ago," Franco went on to say, "if her attorney would have agreed to a psychiatric evaluation. It is possible to release her tomorrow if her family members agree to such an evaluation."

Jerusalem Police on Thursday said they would ask for the woman's remand to be extended, although the court has already ruled out an additional extension.

"At this stage, we still have not succeeded in seeing the family's other children," said Eli Cohen, the lead investigator in the case. "We tried on several occasions to meet with the other children, but their father is not cooperating with police."

Cohen added that police need to investigate further and that is the reason they plan to ask for the mother's remand extension.

"The mother has maintained her silence and did not cooperate during the investigation," said Cohen. "During the early stages of the probe, we asked that she be evaluated by a psychiatrist, but unfortunately her lawyer has refused."

Cohen also said that the family's behavior "would not embarrass an organized crime syndicate." He added that the family has threatened doctors and social workers and has caused severe damage to the welfare ministry offices.

Police are taking precautionary measures to ensure the child is not abducted from Hadassah University Hospital although no such threats have been made.

The city on Thursday closed off traffic on Bar Ilan Street and the Eshkol tunnel in Jerusalem's Mea Shearim neighborhood, after protesters filled the area with garbage during their demonstrations there the night before.

The Jerusalem city council said it could not clear the obstructing garbage for fear of more violence against municipal employees, though noted that it recognized the inconvenience residents may be experiencing.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said 28 protesters were arrested overnight and one officer was lightly wounded. The protesters burned dozens of trash cans and garbage was strewn across city streets. Police used horses and a water cannon to control the protests.

On Wednesday, Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat ordered his municipality to halt all services to the ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods of Geula and Mea Shearim.

The services were halted in light of fear for the safety of municipality employees, as a Border Policeman policeman was hurt in one of the scuffles, when a rock was hurled at him by a protester. Twenty rioters were arrested as the protests spread from Jerusalem to Beit Shemesh.

"The municipality regrets the inconvenience to residents of these neighborhoods who are not involved in the incidents occurring there at this time," said a statement issued by the Jerusalem municipality spokesman. "We hope to renew the services soon."


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      1.   Now we`re getting somewhere 12:43  |  Natallie Durson 16/07/09
      2.   the low 13:17  |  Amos 16/07/09
      3.   anti haredi bias 13:41  |  yonatan 16/07/09
      4.   Datiut? 14:00  |  Daniel 16/07/09
      5.   Yonatan 14:18  |  Daniel 16/07/09
      6.   Nice - Out of Control Hasidim Getting Violent 14:23  |  Jane 16/07/09
      7.   If Israel doesn`t start jailing these violent parasites 14:28  |  Nemesis 16/07/09
      8.   rioters 14:34  |  Dan 16/07/09
      9.   Natalie do you realize who these people are 14:34  |  Seth 16/07/09
      10.   yonatan - ?? the article changes nothing 14:36  |  CJ 16/07/09
      11.   If there was peace with the Pals. there would 14:40  |  had enough 16/07/09
      12.   For Durson: firstly, Israel`s "image" isn`t absolute 14:40  |  Israeli citizen 16/07/09
      13.   Dursons Joke. 14:43  |  Jon 16/07/09
      14.   Woman pulled out feeding tube in hospital 14:45  |  Roo 16/07/09
      15.   Throwing rocks is an act of terroism 14:46  |  Moshe Cryan 16/07/09
      16.   Haredi rioters 14:51  |  DT 16/07/09
      17.   yonatan 14:53  |  A.M. 16/07/09
      18.   i just dont understand 14:56  |  Gary 16/07/09
      19.   Woman pulled out childs feeding tube in hospital 15:04  |  Roo 16/07/09
      20.   #7, Nemesis, for once, we agree 15:12  |  Silvienne 16/07/09
      21.   #13, Jon, how about staying on topic? 15:19  |  Silvienne 16/07/09
      22.   To those who responded to Durson 15:34  |  EE 16/07/09
      23.   Silvienne - missing the point entirely. 15:35  |  Jon 16/07/09
      24.   #15 Roo--- there is a precedence. 15:38  |  Labhras 16/07/09
      25.   Chillul Hashem 15:44  |  Esther 16/07/09
      26.   As the decline of Israel continues 16:00  |  Chris Linthwaite 16/07/09
      27.   Get used to it 16:03  |  Shmuel 16/07/09
      28.   Nemesis # 7 there is no difference 16:08  |  American in NY 16/07/09
      29.   Jerusalem is special 16:13  |  Naftali Lavie 16/07/09
      30.   Jon - On dead children 16:25  |  Natallie Durson 16/07/09
      31.   Haredi exceptionalism? No!! 16:35  |  Fossil 16/07/09
      32.   Memories of October 2000 ... 16:50  |  Indiginous 16/07/09
      33.   Not Haredi ... Neturei Karta ! ! ! 16:53  |  Michael 16/07/09
      34.   Look by your self with whom we are dealing ! 16:57  |  Michael 16/07/09
      35.   Where are the ordinary Israelis? 16:57  |  Dutch Dirk 16/07/09
      36.   Munchausen By Proxy Syndrome 16:59  |  Jane 16/07/09
      37.   Haredim Riots 17:10  |  Steve 16/07/09
      38.   Riots in Jerusalem 17:13  |  ChanaWashdc 16/07/09
      39.   a few points to michael and others 17:42  |  yonatan 16/07/09
      40.   Haredi riots. 17:46  |  Elliot 16/07/09
      41.   Where are they 17:48  |  Arie 16/07/09
      42.   Kind of reminds Natallie of last month 17:52  |  Arie 16/07/09
      43.   #34 Michael - I just visited the Neturei Karta website 17:57  |  Yonatan 16/07/09
      44.   None of this would have happened 17:59  |  Yonatan 16/07/09
      45.   Dutch Dirk 18:07  |  Charles 16/07/09
      46.   Haredi rioters 18:14  |  Shel 16/07/09
      47.   to Dutch....you are right. 18:15  |  Tony Silver 16/07/09
      48.   natalie these are Neturei Karta - anti-zionist 18:18  |  simon 16/07/09
      49.   apartheid policy is clear 18:19  |  Tony Silver 16/07/09
      50.   Jewish fundementalism 18:21  |  i-Care 16/07/09
      51.   Michael #33/34 18:23  |  Roo 16/07/09
      52.   Police Used Horses and Water Cannons 18:24  |  Binyamin 16/07/09
      53.   #3 Yonatan 18:32  |  Lara 16/07/09
      54.   Natalie - your answer. 18:33  |  Jon 16/07/09
      55.   Michael on Neturei karter 18:36  |  jon 16/07/09
      56.   Haredi who? 18:51  |  Vic 16/07/09
      57.   dutch dirk 18:53  |  simon 16/07/09
      58.   Tony # 43 18:54  |  Lenny 16/07/09
      59.   #23, Jon... 18:56  |  Silvienne 16/07/09
      60.   Anti haredi 19:03  |  Chagai 16/07/09
      61.   jon in TM: Follow the news from the beginning 19:15  |  Arie 16/07/09
      62.   taliban are in charge 19:39  |  michael 16/07/09
      63.   Can You Imagne? 19:50  |  Yaakov Sullivan 16/07/09
      64.   Cover up 20:22  |  Amir 16/07/09
      65.   Lack of political maturity 20:41  |  Nathaniel 16/07/09
      66.   IS THE SKUNK BOMB USABLE ON THE HAREDI? 20:42  |  jewish doctor 16/07/09
      67.   Police slams Haredi leaders? 21:42  |  Dutch Dirk 16/07/09
      68.   there are several other reports which are very different 21:43  |  A 16/07/09
      69.   Horses and water... 21:57  |  Silvienne 16/07/09
      70.   what leadership? 22:10  |  chaim 16/07/09
      71.   Response to #55 22:13  |  Michael 16/07/09
      72.   friendship 23:25  |  lohane 16/07/09
      73.   mother is innocent 23:26  |  jessi 16/07/09
      74.   7 police officers hurt and NO shootings? 23:41  |  Colin Wright 16/07/09
      75.   And what if the rioters were Palestinians? 23:55  |  Chas. 16/07/09
      76.   Psycho-analysis.... going back to basics 00:00  |  allang 17/07/09
      77.   Haredim=Taleban 00:22  |  Schlomo 17/07/09
      78.   Lock them up and demolish their homes... 00:35  |  Mary 17/07/09
      79.   Try aiming for their heads with tear gas canisters... 00:39  |  G. 17/07/09
      80.   haredi = crazy 00:45  |  dave 17/07/09
      81.   The opium factor 01:00  |  Ramez 17/07/09
      82.   Haredi craziness 01:00  |  Itzchak 17/07/09
      83.   first they came for the gays ,,, 01:07  |  alan 17/07/09
      84.   not so fast Natalie Durson 01:09  |  alan 17/07/09
      85.   To A #68 - this is what courts are for 01:20  |  Greg 17/07/09
      86.   they should have gone to gaza with the rebbe weis of the neturey 01:34  |  amihai 17/07/09
      87.   What is the cause? 01:51  |  Brod 17/07/09
      88.   IS THE SKUNK BOMB USABLE ON THE HAREDI? 01:54  |  MM 17/07/09
      89.   riots 02:03  |  observer 17/07/09
      90.   What a contrast 02:14  |  Paddy 17/07/09
      91.   #70, Chaim you are mistaken on one point 02:23  |  Nathaniel 17/07/09
      92.   #20...Silvienne..re:Nemesis 02:24  |  Malone 17/07/09
      93.   haredim are worthless 02:47  |  Phil 17/07/09
      94.   #21 Silvienne, since you brought it up 03:30  |  Ibn Musa 17/07/09
      95.   why dont you treat 03:31  |  Mark 17/07/09
      96.   #26 Linthwaite - Natueri Karta have been 03:33  |  Ibn Musa 17/07/09
      97.   The Rule of Law 03:44  |  leo 17/07/09
      98.   #21 Silvienne - Stay on topic 03:45  |  Ibn Musa 17/07/09
      99.   palastinians would be dead in their tracks. 04:05  |  billy jack 17/07/09
      100.   Olmert`s Children 04:05  |  Mark Lincoln 17/07/09
      101.   In Iran they would be dead already 06:23  |  Meo 17/07/09
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