In an unprecedented letter sent this morning, more than 40 leading Israeli jurists, academics, authors, and politicians call upon the Attorney General of Israel to investigate suspected misconduct on the part of the Jerusalem police in Sheikh Jarrah. The public letter argues that the police have broken the law numerous times, have deviated from the truth during court hearings and have violated court decisions, and that they enforce the law in a discriminatory manner. In addition, the signatories argue that this conduct may be due to illicit political bias in the police’s Jerusalem district. This is one of the most severe judgements ever passed on the Israel police, and the long list of respected signatories shows that many Israelis share our concerns.
Among the signatories are three former Ministers of Education – Shulamit Aloni, Prof. Amnon Rubinstein, and Yossi Sarid – former Attorney General Michael Ben Yair, Former Knesset Speaker Avrum Burg, Israel Prize winners Professors Yehuda Bauer, Avishai Margalit, and Zeev Sternhell, and author David Grossman.
Here’s the English translation of the letter, with the full list of signatories:
To 4/7/10
Mr. Yehuda Weinstein, Attorney General of Israel
We, the undersigned, are writing to express our deep concern in the light of illegal and inequitable actions by senior officers of the Jerusalem Police in the context of the ongoing protests in Sheikh Jarrah. These actions give rise to grave doubts about the integrity of these officers’ motives and decisions. Respect for the law and equality before the law are the very core of democracy, and the police, more than any other body, must be committed to maintaining these principles. It is, however, our impression that precisely those responsible for maintaining the law are systematically violating these same principles in East Jerusalem. Even worse, the repeated flaws and failings in the way the police has handled the ongoing public campaign in Sheikh Jarrah over the last few months give us reason to believe that the evident lack of equity in applying the law is rooted in political bias.
The events of recent months in East Jerusalem clearly reveal that the District Police has been acting illegally and in violation of decisions by the courts when the latter are not to their liking. For example, despite repeated rulings by the courts to the effect that the protest vigils in the neighborhood are legal, in practice the police close off the neighborhood to activists from the left while at the same time allowing right-wing activists to carry out provocative, and at times violent, political actions on a wide scale. Moreover, court orders banning Palestinians and left-wing activists from the area are strictly enforced, while the police turn a blind eye when such orders are blatantly violated by right-wing activists.
Despite the fact that hundreds of Palestinians and a small number of Jews are living in the disputed area of Sheikh Jarrah, the Jerusalem Police invariably relates to the neighborhood as if it were entirely Jewish. In their official correspondence and in their testimonies in court, the police insist on referring to the disputed area as the “Neighborhood of Shimon Hatsadik,” although no such neighborhood exists in Jerusalem. This symbolic gesture alone reveals a political stance that goes far beyond the legal authority of the Jerusalem Police and helps explain the behavior of the police in the area and in the courts.
Over the last months the Jerusalem Police have carried out a number of clearly illegal acts in the course of the legal demonstrations in Sheikh Jarrah. First of all, there have been large-scale illegal arrests and acts of physical violence directed against the demonstrators. What is more, in attempting to justify their actions, the representatives of the police have at times strayed far from the truth in their testimonies in court. We need hardly stress the consequent, severe damage to justice itself and the danger this represents for the stability and credibility of the justice system in Israel.
All the above suggest both a political bias and serious flaws in the modus operandi of the Jerusalem Police. There is no need to expand further on the seriousness of this claim. In any case, we have detailed proof of illegal acts and of the discriminatory policy of the Jerusalem Police.
In the light of the above, we request that you convene an urgent meeting with us so that we can present you with these facts. We believe that an examination of the facts will convince you of the necessity to undertake a thorough examination of the Jerusalem District Police. There is an urgent need for an immediate official directive, followed by continuous supervision, in order to keep the Jerusalem Police within the bounds of impartial, and legal, modes of action.
Prof. Bernard Avishai Boaz Ukon Prof. Yaron Ezrahi
Prof. Sidra Ezrahi Shulamit Aloni Prof. Arie Arnon
Prof. Yehuda Bauer Avraham Burg Prof. Ruth Butler
Prof. Yoram Bilu Michael Ben-Yair Prof. Gershon Ben-Shachar
Prof. Hanoch Gutfreund David Grossman Prof. Miri Gur Arie
Zehava Galon Prof. Yitzhak Gal-Nur Prof. Haim Ganz
Prof. Ariel Hirschfeld Prof. Ruth Hacohen Prof. Moshe Halbertal
Prof. Alon Harel Prof. Michal Zmora Cohen Prof. Joseph Zeira
Prof. Hanan Hever Prof. Naomi Chazan Prof. Yossi Yonah
Atty. Shlomo Cohen Ronit Matalon Rabbi Michael Melchior
Prof. Yakov Metzer Prof. Avishai Margalit Eti Livni
Prof. Ram Frost Prof. Mordechai Kremnitzer Judith Karp
Prof. Frances Raday Prof. Amnon Rubinstein Moshe (Mossi) Raz
Prof. Tamar Rappaport Tzali Reshef Prof. David Shulman
Prof. Zeev Sternhell Prof. Yehuda Shenhav Yossi Sarid
It is certainly telling about the makeup of this group of “the usual (‘progressive’) suspects” who signed this that you have former Attorney General MIchael Ben-Yair who is nothing more than a pathetic political hack. He had the position of Attorney General when the Likud under Netanyahu won the 1996 elections. Ben-Yair had five (FIVE!) of the newly appointed Cabinet ministers (among them Yaakov Neeman and Rafael Eitan)put up on false charges (i.e. they were framed) and put on trial, smearing their names and forcing them to put out thousands of shekels in lawyers fees. EVERYONE ONE OF THEM WAS ACQUITTED. This man is no believer in justice! What does it say about the rest on this list.