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Amnon De Hartog. (Tomer Appelbaum) del.icio.us Digg It!  new Last update - 12:09 15/10/2007 UTJ's Gafni: Attorney who struck MK in Knesset hostile to Haredis By Yair Ettinger, Haaretz Correspondent and Haaretz Service MK Moshe Gafni (United Torah Judaism) told Israel Radio Wednesday that Justice Ministry attorney Amnon De Hartog struck an ultra-Orthodox MK at the Knesset Tuesday because of his hostility to the Haredi community. "I have previously told the Attorney General this public servant is hostile to the Haredi community, and yesterday he proved it unequivocally," Gafni said. De Hartog struck MK Yakov Cohen after the lawmaker told him he was "more evil and terrible than the Nazis" for opposing budgets for ultra-Orthodox schools during a Knesset hearing. Advertisement De Hartog also spoke to Israel Radio Wednesday, and said he apologized for the assault, but blamed his harsh response on the fact his parents were Holocaust refugees. The attorney said he was not qualifying his apology, but felt people should understand the circumstances of his action. "[MK Cohen} said this to a man, part of whose family perished in Aushwitz and whose father suffered the horrors of the Holocaust for four consecutive years," De Hartog told Israel Radio. "This is what a member of the Knesset - and a rabbi - said to a Jew." In an interview with Channel 1 television Tuesday, Hartog also cited what he called an "incitement campaign" against him. Following the violent incident, Knesset Deputy Speaker Majali Wahaba convened the Knesset presidency Tuesday, which harshly condemned the event. "Violence in any place, particularly in the Knesset halls, should be condemned," the Knesset presidency wrote. The Knesset presidency decided to bar De Hartog from entering the Knesset and file a police compliant against him. During a Knesset Education Committee meeting, Cohen harshly criticized the attorney's decision to block budget appropriations for Haredi schools on the grounds that they have an independent curriculum that doesn't cover the core subjects required for state funding. Cohen told De Hartog that he was "more evil and terrible than the Nazis," at which point the attorney struck him. Cohen was taken to the Knesset clinic where he was treated for high blood pressure and was later taken to Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital for further examinations. Knesset guards detained De Hartog and summoned the police. De Hartog later announced that he was taking a leave of absence. Meretz Chairman Yossi Beilin said that the ultra-Orthodox public marked the attorney as their nemesis in a way the bordered on violence. Beilin also expressed his distress over the event and said no provocation warrants a violent reaction. According to Beilin, ending De Hartog's term in office would be the fulfillment of the ultra-Orthodox public's dreams and that anyone that cares about the proper conduct of government must oppose such a move. Head of the ultra-Orthodox Shas faction, Yaakov Margi, expressed his dismay at the incident saying it's "unthinkable that civil service should have to be performed under the specter of threats and constant fear. If someone has forgotten this, they should be told to their face." Tension between Haredi lawmakers and De Hartog, the official responsible for approving budget appropriations to private bodies like religious schools, has existed for a number of years. Nonetheless, in recent weeks arguments between De Hartog and Haredi MKs have intensified and De Hartog has become an object for harsh criticism in the Haredi newspapers Bookmark to del.icio.us Public discontent Teachers are replacing port workers in the public's mind as the 'serial national strikers.' Bad for academia? A Haifa professor says funding from corporations gives rise to some ethical conundrums.   1.   WOW calm it Rasha why are you hitting your brethen 16:30  |  Joe 10/07/07   2.   Should have slapped all the way out of Israel! 16:40  |  Moshe 10/07/07   3.   igh Blood Pressure 16:40  |  Fish 10/07/07   4.   Amnon De Hartuch 16:43  |  Mayer 10/07/07   5.   Haaretz leaves out part of the story, as usual 16:45  |  Barry 10/07/07   6.   Attorney strikes MK 16:45  |  Tamara Miriam 10/07/07   7.   Unbelievable - Charges should be filed against De Hatush 16:59  |  Harry 10/07/07   8.   Haredi gets slapped 17:01  |  Soneh Dat 10/07/07   9.   Well done MK Cohen 17:02  |  DG 10/07/07   10.   Somethings missing? 17:10  |  Paul 10/07/07   11.   Tamara Miriam 17:11  |  Polybios 10/07/07   12.   He must be prosecuted 17:12  |  NP 10/07/07   13.   He didn`t call him a Natzi 17:26  |  sam 10/07/07   14.   Attorney strikes MK 17:28  |  Ari 10/07/07   15.   DG #9 17:30  |  JJ 10/07/07   16.   Well Done Hartuch You Scored an Own Goal 17:56  |  Dell Liberacion 10/07/07   17.   Was it caught on tape? 17:57  |  Alan Funt 10/07/07   18.   The truth vs. Ha`aretz 17:59  |  Shalom 10/07/07   19.   "Democratisation of Evil" Fania!!! 18:00  |  Boozaglow 10/07/07   20.   A Slap in the Face to us all 18:01  |  McLevy 10/07/07   21.   Let this be a lesson for Haredim who call fellow Jews Nazis 18:14  |  Jake 10/07/07   22.   bate and switch again 18:31  |  j10 10/07/07   23.   Slap 18:33  |  Joe Berger 10/07/07   24.   He should have also beaten his family 18:36  |  Peter 10/07/07   25.   A momentary lapse... 18:44  |  JonathanInTelAviv 10/07/07   26.   Some people miss the point 18:47  |  Barry 10/07/07   27.   HAREDIS ARE NOT G-Ds MOUTHPIECE 18:48  |  Jorge 10/07/07   28.   The slap isn`t the issue. However.. 18:50  |  Gal 10/07/07   29.   To Barry (#26) 19:05  |  Gal 10/07/07   30.   #14 Ari 19:14  |  Kate 10/07/07   31.   Barry,#26, it is not people 19:40  |  Boozaglow 10/07/07   32.   verbal violence leads to physical violence 19:46  |  Michael N 10/07/07   33.   "Lo le`alimoot"! 19:49  |  Mendel Ben-Chaim 10/07/07   34.   De Hartuch and Peace Now and Haaretz are more evil than the nazis 19:51  |  Joseph 10/07/07   35.   Looking at Amnon De Hartuch`s picture... 20:11  |  Moshe Lieberman 10/07/07   36.   Rule of law 20:11  |  Jo Jo 10/07/07   37.   Barry 20:14  |  Mel 10/07/07   38.   Unqualified MK - No support for Church! 20:30  |  Let`s see Truth 10/07/07   39.   Ultra-Orthodox Jews are known for calling their opponents Nazis 20:30  |  Rachel C. 10/07/07   40.   Haredi think Herzl was worse than Nazis 20:39  |  Eleazar 10/07/07   41.   He shouldn`t have hit him but..... 20:39  |  b`galil 10/07/07   42.   Amnon De Hartuch 20:43  |  Rona 10/07/07   43.   Its OK to slap a Chariedi 20:48  |  Danny Fulda 10/07/07   44.   congratulations 20:51  |  jojo 10/07/07   45.   Political insult produces in Knesset violence. 20:52  |  H.H.M 10/07/07   46.   Amon deserves a break and an apology! 20:59  |  Nathan Cherny 10/07/07   47.   well done Amnon 21:00  |  JLeigh 10/07/07   48.   de Hartogh 21:30  |  megs 10/07/07   49.   I condemn Amnon`s action, but I would have done the same 21:32  |  Joe 10/07/07   50.   Give money to secular and dati leumi schools 21:37  |  Rachel 10/07/07   51.   If Someone Called Me A Nazi, I`d Hit Him Too 21:53  |  Dan 10/07/07   52.   If Amnon De Hartuch were an Arab 22:02  |  Chick 10/07/07   53.   46 and 47 What terrible unbelievable comments 22:10  |  S Judah 10/07/07   54.   The Kenesset Circus 22:15  |  Andrew 10/07/07   55.   48.And do you know how many Haradim were lost 22:16  |  S Judah 10/07/07   56.   Attorney banned from Knesset 22:20  |  Sam Popack 10/07/07   57.   50 Rachel , grow up and get real 22:23  |  S Judah 10/07/07   58.   To S Judah 23:28  |  Gal 10/07/07   59.   Hypocrite Beilin 23:41  |  NP 10/07/07   60.   The Slap Heard `round the World 00:48  |  eddie 11/07/07   61.   58 Gal - Just give it a rest 00:50  |  S Judah 11/07/07   62.   response to :Haaretz leaves out part of the story, as usual 07:46  |  Noach 11/07/07   63.   response to Joseph #34 08:02  |  noach 11/07/07   64.   Good for him he deserves it 09:02  |  SJ 11/07/07   65.   To Gal (29) 09:32  |  Barry 11/07/07   66.   to S Judah 09:47  |  Puhi 11/07/07   67.   Gafni 09:49  |  paul 11/07/07   68.   So this is objective reporting. 09:57  |  Barbara 11/07/07   69.   God punished MK Cohen 10:10  |  Yonatan 11/07/07   70.   Slapping of MK Cohen 10:20  |  Dorothee Veenman 11/07/07   71.   Slap happy 10:20  |  Ethan 11/07/07   72.   Why do ALL other papers quote the whole dispute, EXCEPT HAARETZ. 10:35  |  Ben 11/07/07   73.   Hostile? Isn`t it the Haredim who are hostile? 11:44  |  Joe Sittizen 11/07/07   74.   De Hartog/MK Yacov Cohen 11:45  |  Mel (M) 11/07/07   75.   levels of morality 11:56  |  NR 11/07/07   76.   cannot condone violence 12:20  |  Michael 11/07/07   77.   Disgusted by the stupidity of those who support De Hartog 15:27  |  S Judah 11/07/07   78.   A cup of tea 15:31  |  Zvi 11/07/07   79.   In abusing a civil servant, the MK shows contempt for democracy 17:22  |  Another Barry 11/07/07   80.   Why is your headline so biased 19:40  |  Gershon 12/07/07   81.   To Gershon from 80 01:34  |  Bob 15/07/07   82.   To gershon 80 20:57  |  efraim 17/07/07   83.   He`s lucky he only got slapped 18:42  |  S. 15/10/07

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