Leading Israeli figures accuse police of targeting leftist East Jerusalem protesters
A number of prominent jurists, intellectuals, writers and leftist public figures co-sign letter that charges Jerusalem police with 'illegal and inequitable' conduct towards Sheikh Jarrah protesters.
By Nir Hasson Tags: Israel news East JerusalemA number of prominent jurists, intellectuals, writers and leftist public figures have co-signed a letter that accuses the Jerusalem District police of "illegal and inequitable" conduct toward protesters in the predominantly Arab neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem.
In the letter, which was sent yesterday to Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein, the signers demand an investigation against what they believe is unequal enforcement of the law "that is based on political leanings."
Among the signatories to the letter are former attorney general Michael Ben-Yair, retired District Court judge and legal commentator Boaz Okun, former education and justice minister Amnon Rubinstein, renowned legal scholar Mordechai Kremnitzer, former deputy attorney general Yehudit Karp, former civil service commissioner Yitzhak Gal-Nur and the former head of the Israel Bar Association, Shlomo Cohen.
Other notable names who signed the letter include authors David Grossman and Ronit Matalon; professors Yehuda Bauer, David Shulman, Ariel Hirschfeld, Zeev Sternhell, Avishai Margalit and Moshe Halbertal; and former Meretz MKs Shulamit Aloni, Yossi Sarid, Zehava Gal-On, and Mossi Raz.
The signatories argue that left-wing demonstrators protesting Jewish settlement activity in Sheikh Jarrah are denied permission to stage protests near the homes from which Arab families were evicted, even though right-wingers are allowed to conduct activities at the site. The writers also claim that the police refrain from enforcing restraining orders against rightist activists while making sure to remove leftist protesters who have been similarly ordered outside the area.
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David Grossman |
| Photo by: Daniel Bar-On |
According to the letter, police officers resorted to excessive violence against left-wing protesters and then lied about it in court. "All of these [incidents] and others arouse a heavy fear of political favoritism and flaws in the conduct of the Jerusalem District Police, the gravity of which does not need to be put into words," the letter read. "We have evidence that the Jerusalem police broke the law and acted inequitably."
The police are also accused of adopting the settlers' view of the disputed neighborhood as a Jewish area, despite the overwhelming Arab majority.
"Even though the disputed neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah is home to hundreds of Palestinians and a handful of Jews, the Jerusalem police insist on treating the neighborhood as a Jewish one on all levels," the letter states. "In its official memorandums and during their court appearances, police officers refer to the disputed area as 'the Simeon the Just neighborhood' even though such a neighborhood does not exist in Jerusalem."
"Such a symbolic gesture reveals a political and moral stance that falls outside the Jerusalem police's jurisdiction and provides an explanation into the conduct of officers on the ground and before the court," the letter continues.
The signatories demand that Weinstein agrees to meet with them so they could present him with the facts, which would serve as the basis for an investigation.
In support of the letter, left-wing groups prepared a report that detailed what they believe to be false claims made by the police in court. During a January court hearing, officers said that demonstrators blocked the main street, Nablus Road, leading to Sheikh Jarrah, even though police showed the judge a photograph of a smaller street nearby that was cordoned off during the protest.
In another instance, officers claimed that they arrested protesters for injuring policemen despite the fact that the demonstrators were never questioned for assaulting officers, nor were they indicted on any such charges. The left-wing organizations also offer video evidence which they say proves that the police turned a blind eye to the presence of rightists in Sheikh Jarrah, even though they were banned from the area by a court order. The groups also accuse police of permitting Jewish settlers to harass neighboring Palestinians.
Left-wing protests in Sheikh Jarrah began nine months ago. Since then, close to 100 activists, most of them Israeli, have gathered every Friday to stage demonstrations, some of which lead to violent clashes with police. Thus far over 100 people have been arrested and 44 indictments have been filed in court.
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anyone who'd ever been there knows how slanted law-enforcement is in Sheikh Jarrah, not to mention other places in the Occupied Territories. Of course, the "security forces" on hand are only doing what they're told to do, or what they believe would please their masters.
Police turning a blind eye on settlers' harassement of Palestinians is hardly a surprise given the awful record of IDF in Hebron, where even Palestinian children are constantly stoned and attacked by settlers under the complacent sight of the IDF. Shame on you Israeli police and military authorities!
You mean liberals joined the protest 9 months ago. SJ has been going on for a much longer time.
It's great that there are Israelis who can go out against the non-democratic environment which is developing in Israel. Hopefully this letter will wake up some of the high officials, who have to understand that the way things are going we soon will not be a democratic state. Israel's unjust discriminating ways have to be stopped.
On Yom Yerushalayim ONLY supporters of settlers were allowed to pour down the street. How the police differentiated between ordinary people who felt that that place was the one their conscience dictated they must be on Yom Yerushalayim and the settlers is a mystery. But they picked them out as though they were flies in soup. Yom Yerushalayim was ONLY for the settlers and their supporters, demonstrations in the streets onto which Arab families have been evicted were and continue to be only for the settlers, visitors to those families who are not there to demonstrate at all, are also forbidden to enter those streets at those times and are monitored the rest of the time. You only have to be a human being with what was considered a Jewish education forty or so years ago to understand that what is going on in Jerusalem is a moral catastrophe the likes of which we Jews have never in our history produced. Our government, our police and our courts are allowing thugs to drive our country's political agenda. Haaretz's figure for the regular demonstrations are wrong. There are many more than 100 (obviously, if over 100 have already been arrested) and the rally brought thousands to the area.
It's a wonder that there's not a crime wave in Jerusalem as the Police are more focused on policing political issues than dealing with crime etc that affects all communities. No wonder why there's so little faith in the Police: when they're seen as thugs in green or blue uniforms. They're no better than the South African Police of old
They are better than the former SA Police of old and gone. Their Reihen really are geschlossen, even in court. This shameless perfect SA-like Police is jewish..
The public but also its politicians always look at intellectuals, jurists, writers and the alike as leftist people. Could somebody explain me why?
The reason is that most thoughtful men and women will sooner or later discover that they are not always right in every decision they make, or in every conflict into which they enter. The use of the term “left” has been warped by right-wingers to mean ‘soft’, or empathetic, or willing to compromise, and they do not use it as a complement. They confuse ‘left’ with ‘liberal’ and ‘strong’ with ‘right’. But the confusion does not have its source in their misuse of language, but in chasm between their sense of their place in the world, and their innate fears of the “other”, or in the unknown.
These groups support tearing down illegal Jewish construction but balk at doing the same for illegal Arab construction. It's hypocritical for them to accuse others of double standards.
While Jewish people will get a permit for everything, even outside Israel, the Palestinians won't get any permit, even on their own land. Of course this double standard by granting permits was probably not what you were talking about.
There is no such thing as 'Jewish Construction'! Did the building go through a Brit Milla?? 'Jewish' is a religion, not an architectural style. the construction you talk about is ISRAELI, built in Palestine. All Israeli construction in Palestine is illegal, according to Intl. Law. Israel has no authority to approve or demolish Palestinian construction in PALESTINE, where Sheikh Jarrah happens to be.
The police are doing only what they are instructed to do. Who is instructing them? Three guesses!