Israel News for 8-29-17
Court Ruling
On Monday Israel’s Supreme Court ruled that that illegal aliens (who are primarily from African countries) refusing to be transferred to a third African country cannot be detained for more than 60 days. According to the existing law, infiltrators who refuse to be deported can be held against their will indefinitely at a detention center in the Negev until they are “convinced” to be deported.
The decision was made by a panel of five judges, in response to an appeal submitted the end of 2015 to the Be’er Sheva District Court by two Eritrean citizens and six human rights organizations, including the Association for Civil Rights in Israel and a center for refugees and immigrants.
In the ruling, Naor stressed that while an infiltrator could be held for more than 60 days for refusing to cooperate with authorities, refusing deportation does not constitute such a refusal, and could not be used to keep infiltrators locked up.
She said, “Interpreting refusal of deportation as a refusal to cooperate cannot coexist with the need for a true, free-willed, voluntary and autonomous agreement (for deportation).”
Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, however, criticized the judges’ decision. “The decision not to allow the state to expel infiltrators against their will is very problematic, as it takes away from the state a very important tool and allows any infiltrator who wants to stay to remain in Israel.” He added, “We have to take care of the citizens of the State of Israel, the residents of south Tel Aviv and other cities whose lives are not worth living.”
Deri is planning to sponsor an amendment to the law that would allow the state to deport infiltrators from the country against their will.”
Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked also attacked the court’s decision yesterday, stressing that the principles of Zionism and maintaining a Jewish majority in Israel must take precedents over issues relating to human rights.
Commenting on the court’s ruling Shaked said, “The question of the Jewish majority is never relevant. It’s irrelevant when the issue is African illegal aliens setting up camp in south Tel Aviv, effectively creating a city within a city while pushing out the original residents. The court’s response was striking down—and then striking down again—the law attempting to deal with this phenomenon.”
While saying that she strongly believes in the importance of safeguarding the human rights of all individuals, she made it clear that she believes that doing so must not threaten the continued stability of a Jewish majority in the land of Israel. When the two clash, the latter must always prevail.
For further reading click here.
No Strip
The Tel Aviv District Court ruled yesterday that stripping cannot be considered “entertainment,” and revoked a business license belonging to a Ramat Gan strip club.
In the ruling Justice Michal Agmon Gonen wrote, “Stripping is using a woman’s body as a tool to titillate and sexually satisfy the male viewers, and women should not be used merely as tools to achieving someone else’s objectives.”
The suit against the strip club, which is located in the Diamond Exchange complex, was filed by the Ramat Gan municipality, which claimed that the only activity a club in the region may supply its patrons is “entertainment”. A lower court initially ruled in favor of the municipality. Then the club owner turned to the appellate court which overturned the lower court’s decision. The municipality then brought the case before the District Court.
Even though most strippers do not consider their work degrading, Judge Gonen ruled that, “It can be determined that a certain activity objectifies women and injures their dignity, even if they themselves don’t consider that to be the case.”
Gonen’s ruling can lead to the closing of other strip clubs throughout the country.
The club’s owner intends to bring his case before the Supreme Court.
For further reading click here.
Hebron Autonomy
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman yesterday granted official status to the Jewish community of Hebron, represented by the Hebron Municipal Committee. The committee will have administrative authority over all the Jewish residents of the city and all Jewish owned property. The Jewish community will no longer be reliant upon or under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority’s Hebron municipality.
It was further determined that in the case of road hazards and the like in the PA controlled section of the city, the head of the municipal committee would inform the mayor of Hebron to deal with it. Should the matter not be dealt with within a reasonable period of time, the municipal head may deal with the matter himself with the approval of the Civil Administration.
The Jewish community welcomed the decision to grant it autonomy.
For further reading click here.
Terror Families
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met last night in Ramallah with families of Palestinian prisoners (including terrorists) being held in Israeli jails and receiving medical care while serving their sentences. According to a report in the Palestinian Wafa news agency, the family members asked Guterres “to act seriously to save the lives of more than 6,500 male and female Palestinian prisoners who are being subjected to serious harm.”
Chairman of the Palestinian Prisoners Authority, Issa Qaraqe, asked Guterres to convene a special meeting in the UN General Assembly on the matter. Guterres responded, “We understand the suffering of the Palestinian prisoners, and are working with the relevant officials in order to stop their suffering.”
Guterres also visited the grave of Yassir Arafat as part of his four day visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
For further reading click here.
Back to Egypt
Eight months ago Israel’s Ambassador to Egypt and his staff were forced to leave the country because of security threats. Yesterday the Ambassador David Gorin returned with eight staff members, where they will resume work from the ambassadors residence in suburban Cairo. The Israeli Embassy in central Cairo has been closed since protesters stormed it in 2011.
For further reading click here.
Super Mom
If you think you’ve got a busy schedule, you need to watch this video about a mother of 19. Yup, you heard right. The dad should get some credit too. They’re originally from Brooklyn and live in Safed (Tzfat).
To watch the video (Hebrew) click here.
