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YOU HAVE REACHED THE COLUMN OF DR. AARON LERNER, WORLD JEWISH NEWS AGENCY INTERNATIONAL COMMENTATOR...

EDITORIAL

Israel's "Thought Police" - Wasting Police Resources


By Dr. Aaron Lerner, Director IMRA (Independent Media Review & Analysis), World Jewish News Agency International Commentator. Website: http://www.imra.org.il 

Israel doesn't have a "thought police" to suppress public protest against Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan.  The police spending hours interrogating people for distributing orange ribbons, stickers and informational pamphlets are regular cops who would otherwise be working on preventing or solving real crimes.   By the same token, the prosecutors who now have to wade through the paperwork generated by these spurious investigations are from a special "thought prosecution" team.

They are diverting their resources - as well as the resources of the Israeli court system - from the swift delivery of justice in real cases. And, unfortunately, Israel has more than enough real crime to keep the cops and the courts busy. It didn't have to be this way. From the very start Attorney General Menachem Mazuz could have issued clear guidelines as to what constitutes illegal incitement. 

Clear and intuitive guidelines that prohibit calls to hurt individuals or groups and leave the rest protected by the right to freedom of speech. But he didn't. Mazuz's patchwork of comments for more than a year left both police and protestors uncertain as to what citizens can do without facing the risk of being ID'd, interrogated - and possibly even prosecuted for incitement.

 
 
 
 


When Menachem Mazuz was appointed attorney general he was roundly praised by his colleagues for his great intellect and skills, so it's hard to accept that he has simply been clumsy, lazy or incompetent. Unfortunately, the alternative explanation is that Mazuz has put his ideologically driven desire to suppress opposition to withdrawal above his professional obligations.

POLLS

Poll: 21% more concerned about violence, 11% blame weak police, 4.4% know someone who experienced physical violence in last 3 months. Telephone poll carried out by "Brain Base" ["Maagar Mochot"] of a representative sample of 501 adult Israelis (including Israeli Arabs) under the direction of Prof.Y.Katz for Israel Channel Ten Television's "All Morning" program on 3 June 2005. Are you more or less concerned about violence than in the past? More 21% Same 73% Less 6% Were you or any of your family or friends hurt as a result of violence in the last three months? No 79% Yes 13% Other 8%

Of those who replied yes: What kind of violence? 23% Physical(hitting, spitting, attacking, burning, knifing, pushing,  destruction of property) 41% Verbal (curses, threats, obscene gestures, harassment) 11% Both  physical and verbal 25% Other (sexual harassment, dangerous driving) How do you think you would react to a violent incident? Ignore 39% Respond verbally 21% Respond physically 17% Call the police 18% Other 5%

What do you think is the main reason for the increase in violence in Israeli society? Failure of educational home 27% Failure of educational system 21% Economic situation 14% Weak police 11% Forgiving court system 10% Security situation 6% New immigrants 3% Other 8%

 

 

 

 

EDITORIAL

Did Jews Attack the Temple Mount?
By Judy Lash Balint

Last Monday, Jordan's Ambassador to Israel, Dr. Marouf Bakhit called a hasty meeting with Israeli Foreign Ministry officials to declare his country's outrage over the "provocative act" of a group of Jews who had the audacity to go up to the Temple Mount in commemoration of Jerusalem Day, the 38th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem. The official Jordanian news agency called the Jewish visit: "A provocative act that could stir up confrontation and evoke outrage of Muslims around the world." The very next day, the suave, urbane Ambassador Bakhit told a group of  diplomats and journalists at a Jerusalem think tank that there is absolutely no proof that the Temple ever stood at the spot known to Moslems as al-Haram-ash Sharif, now occupied by the Dome of the Rock. The entire episode may be viewed as part of the ongoing Arab strategy to delegitimize Jewish claims to holy sites and by extension to Jerusalem itself.  None of this is new-Moslem clerics have regularly seized on perceived Israeli violations of the Temple Mount as pretexts to incite violent riots. But now the inflammatory statements are coming from a representative of the Jordanian government, who in the same speech to the diplomats and reporters claimed that his country is on its way to becoming  "a moderate, tolerant, open society."

Evidently that attitude does not extend to tolerating a dozen Jews visiting their holiest site. When several hundred Arabs started throwing rocks and chairs at the Jews and Israeli Border Police fired stun grenades to force the attackers to retreat, Jordan's Minister of Religious Affairs Abdul-Salam al-Abadi said police actions and the visit of Jewish visitors "represent a flagrant and an unacceptable challenge. They are part of repeated attempts by Zionist settlers to break into and sabotage Al Aksa Mosque to implement their vicious and criminal plans." The official statement went on to urge all Arab countries and Islamic organizations to "interfere" to put an end to "attacks" against Al Aksa. Quizzed about whether he personally considers the presence of Jews on the Temple Mount to constitute "an attack" on the mosque, Ambassador Bakhit refuses to answer. All he asserts is that "4 or 5 extremists managed to sneak in with a group of tourists." Bakhit issues no condemnation of the Arab rock throwers who injured two Jews during the incident. He does mention, "I'm not good at religion, not mine or others.."  But evidently good enough to promote his government's view that Jewish visits "endanger the safety of the mosque and Moslem worshippers." A few hours before his Jerusalem appearance, terrorists in northern Gaza fired at least three Kassam rockets at the southern Israeli town of Sderot, hitting a house, but causing no injuries. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack, which they said came in retaliation for the Jewish visit to the Jerusalem holy site. (Sderot, a development town two hours south of Jerusalem, get it?) Bakhit's job was done. The Jordanians predict "confrontation and outrage" and Hamas is happy to oblige.-From Front page, via IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis. Website: www.imra.org.il
 

 

    

Jerusalem embraces the people of Neveh Dekalim. By Dr. Aaron Lerner. Under the heading "The people of Jerusalem embrace the people of Neveh Dekalim", the Jerusalem municipality is preparing to accept approx. 300 families (over 1,000 people) that are being evicted from Neveh Dekalim as part of the disengagement plan. Mayor Uri Lupolinaski has instructed the municipal departments not to spare any resource or effort in order to allow the people of Neveh Dekalim, following the traumatic experience they've just been through, an easy and personal absorption and to make them feel at home. The mayor has also instructed to find immediate solutions in the various education institutes for those wishing to remain in Jerusalem. The municipality has decided that the people of Neveh Dekalim will be accepted in a personal and family way by professionals as soon as they arrive at the hotel. Special headquarters will operate during the first few days of the absorption. Those HQ's will be manned by rabbis, social workers and absorption coordinators who will try to map all of their needs. Medical teams will be on hand at every hotel as well as vehicles provided by "Sela" disengagement authority that will provide transportation for the evictees. Towards the opening of the school year, the Jerusalem Education administration will provide solutions for the children. 10 temporary kindergartens will open in the hotels and if needed school children will be placed in nearby schools. An education coordinator - an educator experienced with youth - will be on hand at every hotel as well as teaching soldiers and youth movement leaders. Toys and equipment for the children will also be purchased. The educational psychological service prepared to assist the evictees in every stage. Personnel will be available 24 hours a day, together with social workers, welfare workers and more professionals. The municipality will do its best to include the people of Neveh Dekalim in all the activities around Jerusalem as well as inform them of the benefits package they're entitled to when purchasing a home in the city. It should be noted that there's already interest in purchasing apartments in Har Choma. Lupolianski, in a letter that will be given to all the evictees in Jerusalem, wrote that all the people of Jerusalem embrace them. "We, the people of Jerusalem, are proud of you for your faith and salute you for keeping the southern front of Israel secure. The uprooting is hard and we, the Jerusalem municipality and residents embrace you and promise to do everything to make your absorption in the holy city as easy as possible.", so wrote Lupolianski. He added that he calls them to settle in Jerusalem and make the capitol of Israel their permanent home.