Court frees foreign activists, raps West Bank crackdown
State: Arrest of ISM activists near Ramallah was mishandled, should not have included immigration unit.
By Nir Hasson Tags: Israel news West BankThe Supreme Court ordered two pro-Palestinian foreign activists released on bail on Monday, saying Israeli immigration officers overstepped their bounds by detaining them in the West Bank.
The activists' lawyer described their arrest as part of a campaign by Israel to choke off weekly demonstrations by Palestinians, left-wing Israelis and foreign activists against Israel's West Bank separation barrier as peace efforts remain at a stalemate.
Israeli soldiers raided the West Bank city of Ramallah on Sunday and detained Spaniard Ariadna Jove Marti and Australian Bridgette Chappell, handing them over to immigration officers overseen by Israel's Interior Ministry for possible deportation.
Both women belong to the International Solidarity Movement, which is at the forefront of anti-barrier demonstrations.
Palestinian authorities and the women's attorney called the entire operation illegal, arguing the military had no right to raid a city within an area designated by interim peace accords as being under Palestinian civil and security jurisdiction.
But the Supreme Court ordered Marti and Chappell released on other grounds, saying immigration officers - authorized only to operate inside Israel - had taken custody of the women from the military at a prison inside the West Bank.
"(The immigration officers) have no authority outside the legitimate borders of Israel," the women's lawyer, Omer Schatz, told reporters before the court ordered his clients freed on bail.
The two activists were banned by the court from returning to the West Bank but told they could file an appeal against deportation from Israel, which controls the territory's borders.
They two were ordered to pay NIS 3,000 bail apiece, instead of the NIS 25,000 originally requested, were told they could not return to the Palestinian territories, but that they could file an official appeal over their deportation.
During a hearing on Monday, state prosecutors said the two should not have been transferred to the Oz immigration unit, which has previously been instructed not to participate in the arrest of activists in the West Bank.
State Prosecutor Ilil Amir said, "A legal problem exists regarding the authority to enforce the laws of entry into Israel."
"At about 2:30 at night soldiers opened the door and came in. There were 15-20 soldiers who aimed their guns at us," Marti described on Sunday from a holding cell in Ramle prison. "They asked for our passports and then asked us to take our things and go with them. They cuffed us and drove us to Ofer Camp."
There they were handed over to the Oz immigration unit of the Defense Ministry.
They said Interior Ministry officials asked them to agree to be expelled immediately from the country.
"They told us that they are taking us to Holon and there we can decide, either we agree to immediate expulsion or that we will be jailed for six months. He told us that we had time until the trip to Holon to decide," Marti added.
The two say that at the Holon headquarters of the unit they were questioned, and that most of the questions dealt with the lack of visas.
They refused to sign documents that would see them willfully expelled.
Israel deported a leading ISM activist last month, the organization said. Eva Novakova, from the Czech Republic, had also been arrested in Ramallah.
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http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1148266.html http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1148014.html Obviously there are still lots of decent, humane, truthful Jewish Israelis, but there seems to be a worrying trend these days to shoot the messenger. The Middle East's only democracy? Well I guess it used to be. Maybe even today. Not so sure about the future.
Since when has "Danish" been a religion?
Since you asked.... no, as usual you are completely wrong.
Its a standard operating procedure of police-states: Terrorize the women who try to oppose you peacefully, in order to heighten tensions with the radicals and drive the non-fanatics off in fear.
What doesn't Israel want the outside world to see? If, as they say, they are so moral, what are they trying to hide?
Do you know anything at all about Israel? What would it matter if they entered through the Allenby Bridge? Maybe they did. Israel controls that border too. These courageous women are among the best of humankind, and will certainly be blessed for eternity for their efforts to support human rights.
If Israel is not a democracy then why does it have a large Arab population with more civil and political rights than their brethren in neighbouring countries? And why is it that these Arab citizens have remained in Israel and have not left the country? Your reasoning is flawed as usual.
Your logic is perverse. They are not "righteous gentiles" because they did not save the lives of any Jews facing death. They are neither heroes nor "anti-apartheid activists". They are just politically active individuals who chose their causes selectively but not objectively.They claim they strive for peace in the Middle East. However, they do not protest terrorist attacks committed by Hamas or other terrorist organizations or the murders committed by Hamas against other Palestinians.
So Israel is not a true democracy? Compared to what? Syria? Saudi Arabia? In Iran, you can only run for office if you have the approval of the clergy. In Iraq, the opposition is kicked off the ballot or jailed before an election. True Israel does not have a constitution, for reasons to complex to go into here. Neither does Britain. Neither do a lot of countries. So Israel is not democratic because it is a Jewish state. Well, I guess your Denmark is also not democratic since it is a Danish state. Note how the courts in Israel rule against the government. Does that happen in non-democratic countries? Hardly.
"If Bridgette Chappell really wants help a downtrodden people she should return home and do some charity work for the Aboriginals. The truth is she`s doing all this for her own benefit - no one else`s." Do you say the same thing about volunteers that come from the UK/US to Israel to help in different capacities - such as on Kibutzim?
dr ben its time you developed assense of humour ! lawyers can always find away around the law or even what they said last week. the two ism trouble makers entered israel illegallyas they did not decllare thjey were there to cause trouble. like all illegals they can use the machinery of appeal . you and i know they should pack their bags now for returning to the loony left where you also belong 1
"Israel wishes to see the Palestinians cut off and isolated from the International Community in control of every aspect of their daily lives as we see in Gaza." Hmmm. I guess that is why Israel has agreed to give the PA full political control over the West Bank's Arab population. Tell me, Chris, are all your postings based on ignorance?
I agree with you that Israel is not a true democracy. For that matter, neither is my country. I'm curious, though: do you get as riled up about the unequal treatment of minorities and disproportionate privileges accorded to ethnic or religious majorities in, say, Islamic countries? Or does the fact that they don't claim to be democracies absolve them of these sins? I find that many people who criticize Israel for being undemocratic are quick to apologize for the treatment of minorities, particularly women, in Islamic societies, because it is not politically correct to do so. unapologetically apologists for Islam, and their mistreatment of minorities, especially women in their societies.
And the Head of State ,the King/Queen MUST be a member of the Church of England. The same is the case of Denmark ,from where you're mailing your hateful posts : The Danish Head of State ,King/Queen MUST be a member of the Lutheran Church ,the Folkekirken(The PEOPLES Church) in Denmark. Isn't it a proof neither GB or Denmark are the "true democracies" or "States of all its citizens" ,the "danish" Tony Silver ? p.s. The same is the case with Sweden and Norway
Tony, a question: If you were part of an oppressed group of people, got the chance for self-determination, would you take it? and if you took it, would you see to it that your oppressed people were given chances and opportunities that they never had before self-determination? (ever heard of affirmative action?) I know this is a simplistic framing of Israel's situation, but all too often I see people such as yourself, who have never stood in either a Jew's, or an Israeli's, shoes and make judgments about things they couldn't possibly understand. I'm not saying that Israel is right 100% of the time: in fact, I have a lot of problems with its policies, and even with Zionism itself (though I do believe in Jewish self-determination). Not every country's situation is equal to that of a small, stable, peaceful European nation, and should not always be judged according to those standards.
These pests must be arrested, allowed some hospitality in the holding cells and then deported with a nice glowing stamp in their passport: DEPORTED.
With the circumstances of the arrest of Ariadna Marti and Bridgette Chappell being unjust, why did the Court not order their release without bail conditions and why not let them go back to Ramallah in the Westbank? At the end of the day the army and Oz unit got what they wanted. Too often the Supreme Court gives the appearance of being on the side of justice, the benign arbiter in the middle, the good cop, whilst in reality it is an essential part of the Zionist establishment. For instance The SC ruled back in 2007 that only a short stretch of 1.7 km of the separation wall in Bil'in was built on Palestinian land and ordered the State to move it. So far the State has cynically refused to carry out the ruling of its own Supreme Court. A just Court would have ruled that this wall, if used to protect the Israeli population, should have been built on Israeli territory within the Green Line. Israel's Supreme Court is keeping up appearances, covering up the ugly reality of a rogue state.
Israel does not even have a constitution, "since the Constituent Assembly and the first Knesset were unable to put a constitution together," reads a statement on the Israeli Parliament (Knesset)'s website. Furthermore, Israel does not have a bill of rights and has a history of legislating unequal civil rights, privileges and access to public funds. And its pursuit of a so-called "Jewish State" is an apparent discrimination against the non-Jewish.
Kind of ironic, activists are arrested in a manner equivalent to a dictatorship--meant to instill fear in all people--and the court steps in, reduces their bail, but they still have to pay nonetheless and are banned from ever entering Occupied Palestine. Hmm, i'm still trying to figure out how the court of law is fair and equitable. I believe equity would have called for their immediate release with no charge and i dont know, maybe freedom of movement??
They should be drafted to serve in the anti-terror operations. When you let lawyers run your battlefield you can expect to lose. The Left has been defeated everywhere but in the court system...Its past time they are.
In Iran opposition leaders are shot or hung, in Israel theyare given due process of law. The difference betwwen Islam and Judaism is glaring. And don't now say how when Israel excercises its right to self defence, terrorists are killed.
I think the ISM heads must study the Qutab literature before they intervene in the Middle East and wast the money of the donors.
ISM is a palestinian organization, not international. but Let those people demonstrate, who cares. it makes them feel good.These two are women and will not change their mind, no matter what the facts. It was an error to arrest them
They would be welcomed as heroes who fought against the illegal occupation in Palestine. Which is why the Jewish State wanted to quitely get them to sign a piece of paper and deport them with the minimum of fuss.
Israel wishes to see the Palestinians cut off and isolated from the International Community in control of every aspect of their daily lives as we see in Gaza. More importantly unlike Gaza in the West Bank Israel does not want any witnesses to this particular policy. Israel's worse nightmare is a free, independent Palestine economically laying rest to the lie that Israel is a miracle. Or even worse the United States taking the money they currently give to Israel. (Israel recieves more aid than Haiti which should tell you something) and sharing it equitably between a Palestinian State and the future State of Israel.
david! what a snow job in washington! the flakes are getting to you.
...in Israel. Nowhere else in the Middle East would a court over-rule a country's government and military forces - and be obeyed.
If Bridgette Chappell really wants help a downtrodden people she should return home and do some charity work for the Aboriginals. The truth is she's doing all this for her own benefit - no one else's.
13. You may say that the GOYIM will rise upon us, arms in hand, if they guess what is going on before the time comes; but in the West we have against this a manoeuvre of such appalling terror that the very stoutest hearts quail - the undergrounds, metropolitans, those subterranean corridors which, before the time comes, will be driven under all the capitals and from whence those capitals will be blown into the air with all their organizations and archives.
13. You may say that the GOYIM will rise upon us, arms in hand, if they guess what is going on before the time comes; but in the West we have against this a manoeuvre of such appalling terror that the very stoutest hearts quail - the undergrounds, metropolitans, those subterranean corridors which, before the time comes, will be driven under all the capitals and from whence those capitals will be blown into the air with all their organizations and archives.
The Palestinians greatly appreciate the support you bring from outside the World. You give the Palestinians hope that the World is listening and and that it cares. Don't let the Israelis bully you. You have every right to be there to aide your fellow human being in his suffering. If they want you out of Palestine, make them drag you out by your arms and legs!
for and participate in riots and subversion at Na'alin , Bil'in , at checkpoints and intefere with arrests , house demolition and tunnel destruction .
Again a weak wussy show from Israel, these antisemites will now return as heroes to their dirty antisemitic friends at home
13:36 IDF arrests 11 for hurling stones at forces in Shoafat, north of Jerusalem (Army Radio) GOD BLESS THOSE WHO ARE HURLING STONES ON PEDOPHILE TALMUDIC RACIST APARTHEID MURDER TERRORIST RAPIST ARMY OF EVIL1!!!GOD BLESS"!!!
13. You may say that the GOYIM will rise upon us, arms in hand, if they guess what is going on before the time comes; but in the West we have against this a manoeuvre of such appalling terror that the very stoutest hearts quail - the undergrounds, metropolitans, those subterranean corridors which, before the time comes, will be driven under all the capitals and from whence those capitals will be blown into the air with all their organizations and archives.
,they still live in era of Judenrats and eagerly serve they imagined betters ,the Outside World. Those 2 could have entered through the Allenby Bridge .Instead they chose to request(and got) the Israeli visas ,subsequently used to subvert the State of Israel. The Supreme Court is a disgrace
13. You may say that the GOYIM will rise upon us, arms in hand, if they guess what is going on before the time comes; but in the West we have against this a manoeuvre of such appalling terror that the very stoutest hearts quail - the undergrounds, metropolitans, those subterranean corridors which, before the time comes, will be driven under all the capitals and from whence those capitals will be blown into the air with all their organizations and archives.
They should be kept in custody in Sderot for a few months and then deported to Egypt. See how they get treated there.
Key figures at a glance Marginal lending facility (*) 1.75 % Main refinancing operations (fixed rate) (*) 1.00 % Deposit facility 0.25 % AT A RATE OF 1.75 HE TORTURE GOYIM RIGHTEOUS GENTILES GET 0.25 AWARD
Key figures at a glance Marginal lending facility (*) 1.75 % Main refinancing operations (fixed rate) (*) 1.00 % Deposit facility 0.25 %
These heroes are bearing witness to fascist Israel's crimes against humanity. They're incredibly brave and will one day be honored for their anti-apartheid work. Deporting them and those like them, will not end the fight for justice in the territories.
To Mr. Hasson: El-Bireh is NOT "a suburb of Ramallah." It is an independant city with a municipal council.
Who could explain the facts of life to them.
about WE FURTHER DISTRACT THEM WITH AMUSEMENTS, GAMES, PASTIMES, PASSIONS, PEOPLE'S PALACES .... SOON WE SHALL BEGIN THROUGH THE PRESS TO PROPOSE COMPETITIONS IN ART, IN SPORT IN ALL KINDS:
another terrorist company like israeli al qaida and us homeland security