- 31 oct 2010
Two Jewish youths charged with shooting at Arabs during Safed clashes
Border Police officer allegedly handed his M-16 to a civilian friend, as some 30 Jewish youths demonstrated violently Arab students' apartments.
A Border Police officer and his civilian friend were charged on Sunday with using live fire during a clash between Jewish and Arab in the northern city of Safed last weekend.
Some 30 youngsters from Safed attacked several Arab students who live in an apartment in the town's center on Friday night.
Nobody was hurt, but police arrested three suspects in the assault. The attack was seen as a reflection of the rising tension over the growth in the Arab population in Safed, mostly students at Safed College who are residing in the city.
Civilian Safed resident 20-year-old civilian Raziel Rubenstein, and 20-year-old Border Police officer Abraham Elmakis, have now been charged with opening fire during the incident.
According to the indictment, Rubenstein and Elmakis were strolling through the city when they came upon three local girls. Elmakis was carrying his army-issued M-16 rifle at the time.
As the two groups met, an Arab driver sped past them. The girls told Elmakis and Rubeinstein that they were worried that the local Arabs had "taken over the city."
They continued on toward the city park, where they met up with an additional 30 youths. The group began to discuss what they termed "the rising problem of Arabs in Safed, who are harming the personal security of Jewish girls."
The group decided to head for the downtown pedestrian mall to demonstrate outside of the buildings where the local Arab students rented rooms. They reached their destination just after midnight.
The mass group of Jewish youths began shouting "death to Arabs", "stinking Muslims" and "a Jew has a soul and an Arab is a son-of-a-bitch" at the house. They began throwing bottles and stones at the student housing.
One of the bottles soared through an open window, shattering glass in an apartment where a number of students were sitting at the time. The students responded by hurling things from their house onto the road.
According to the indictment, Elmakis handed his rifle to Rubeinstein at this point. Rubeinstein allegedly cocked the weapon and fired a single shot. The group of Jewish youth ran from the scene and the Arab youth hid in the apartment.
About two weeks prior to this incident, chief Safed Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu and other prominent rabbis called not to rent or sell apartments to non-Jews.
The rabbis also held what they called an "emergency gathering" whose speakers said the college was enabling the influx because most of its students are Arabs.
Eliyahu called to keep Arab students out of Safed College some eight years ago, after a suicide attack on a bus at Meron junction, after an Arab student had reportedly been warned of the attack by one of the terrorists.
Eliyahu was indicted for incitement to racism for this and other statements he had made at that time. But the indictment was revoked about four years ago, following an agreement in which he promised to publish a clarification of his statements.
http://bit.ly/bZv9Mr
Police arrest foreign worker employed illegally by Barak's wife
Case against defense minister's wife reopened last week after Israel Radio correspondent tracked down Virginia.
Israel Police on Sunday evening arrested a Filipina woman suspected of working illegally as a housekeeper for Defense Minister Ehud Barak and his wife, Nili Priel.
Virginia was located in Tel Aviv, in a join raid with the Oz immigration unit.
Police have been searching for Virginia since last year, when it emerged revealed that Priel was employing a migrant worker without a license.
The housekeeper, who did chores twice a week and helped out when the couple held parties, had previously been employed in Israel legally as a caretaker but began cleaning homes when her employment license expired.
Priel admitted last week that she had employed the foreign worker and said she takes full responsibility for the action.
The confession came after the attorney general closed the case for lack of evidence and subsequently reopened it after Israel Radio correspondent Carmela Menashe tracked down the woman by using the telephone number Priel had - which she did not give the investigators.
Priel asked Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein to punish her with a fine and thus end the affair without further legal ramification, but her request was denied. A senior attorney in Weinstein's office, Raz Nizri, old Priel in response that the act was deserving of full investigation and that the payment of a fine would not suffice.
http://bit.ly/bKombq
2 nov 2010, 11:19 , Respect -
Maria 1 nov 2010
Officers suspected of robbing Palestinians
Two Border Guard officers took wallets, cell phones from Palestinians they were sent to arrest, police say.
Border Guard officers were dispatched to arrest Palestinians residing illegally in Israel, but instead opted to steal their wallets and personal belongings, police say.
The two officers were arrested on suspicion they repeatedly took advantage of their operational activity in order to rob Palestinians.
The two were interrogated by the Police Investigations Unit, and will be brought to a remand hearing at the Rishon Lezion Magistrate's Court on Monday.
In one of the incidents, the officers %u2013 one serving in mandatory service and the other an non-commissioned officer %u2013 were dispatched to the southern town of Rahat and located a house where, according to suspicion, Palestinians without a visa were residing.
According to testimonies obtained by the Police Investigations Unit, the two entered the basement of the house, took the Palestinians' wallets and cell phones while threatening them with their weapons, and escaped the scene.
The Palestinians filed a complaint with the Police Investigations Unit, and the two officers were arrested later that day. The officers are suspected of robbing some 15 illegal residents. Some of the stolen artifacts were located and returned to their owners.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3977958,00.html
Illegal worker employed by Barak released on bail
A Filipino worker illegally employed by the wife of Defense Minister Ehud Barak was released on bail on Monday by the Interior Ministry's Oz immigration unit after being arrested on Sunday. 4 nov 2010, 11:00 , Respect -
Maria 3 nov 2010
'Nigerian sting' detainees at airport ahead of extradition to US
Israelis suspected of conning elderly Americans in lottery scam taken to Ben-Gurion Airport, where US law enforcement officials await
Five Israeli suspects in the "Nigerian sting" affair were brought to Ben-Gurion Airport on Wednesday ahead of their extradition to the United States on Thursday.
The suspects are accused by American authorities of conning hundreds of elderly US citizens out of tens of millions of dollars.
According to the charges the suspects allegedly phoned elderly Americans and informed them that they had won the lottery and demanded a fee of several thousand dollars for the transfer of the prize money, but the money never existed and was not transferred.
About a month ago the Supreme Court rejected the suspects' appeal against the Jerusalem District Court's decision to extradite them to the US.
American authorities filed the extradition request in 2008. Since then the suspects have been held at the Rimonim Prison. On Tuesday they were transferred to the Nitzan Prison, and on Wednesday they were taken to the airport, where US law enforcement officials waited for them.
Two more suspects are expected to go through the same extradition process on Thursday.
In accordance with an extradition treaty between the US and Israel, the seven suspects will be tried in the US and, if convicted, will serve their prison terms in Israel.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3979291,00.html
The arrest came following growing pressure on the authorities to resolve the case, amid public concern that the investigation was abandoned due to the involvement of Barak's wife.
The woman, known as Virginia, is suspected of overstaying her work visa by three years, and was arrested in Tel Aviv in the presence of her three-year-old son and father.
Immigration officials are due to review her case, though an immediate deportation would be illegal as she gave birth in Israel.
The Filipino national answered questions on her past work in Israel for Barak's wife, Nili Priel, who herself will be called in for questioning in the near future.
Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein has indicated that an indictment against Priel is likely.
http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=193572
Barak's wife faces indictment for hiring illegal worker
Attorney General rebuffed Nili Priel's request to pay a fine for the violation while immigration authorities searched for her former housekeeper.
Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein is expected to order in the coming days the indictment of the spouse of Defense Minister Ehud Barak for employing a foreign worker illegally.
Last month Weinstein rejected a request by Nili Priel to be allowed to pay a fine for the violation of employing a Filipina housekeeper. Weinstein believes that in view of the fact that the work permit for Virginia, the foreign worker, which was issued for caregiving, expired several years earlier, and she was employed at the Barak household in Tel Aviv for a relatively long period of time as a housekeeper, Priel must be tried on criminal charges.
Meanwhile, Virginia was found in south Tel Aviv yesterday and was held for questioning at a Holon office of the Immigration and Population Authority.
Virginia's testimony will allow the immigration authorities to build an indictment against Priel. Otherwise, without her testimony or that of the Shin Bet guards who identified the Filipina as the housekeeper in the Barak household, it will not be possible to bring charges against Priel for illegally employing a foreign worker.
The Filipina, who is also known as Diana, was taken yesterday to the offices of the unit which specializes in law enforcement in cases involving the employment of foreign workers. After she is questioned, her case will be further evaluated and a decision will be made on her status in the country.
Sources in the immigration authority said yesterday that they have no intention to jail Virginia since she has family in Israel. They added that the woman will be questioned only about her employment in the household of Barak and Priel and not about other places of work where she worked illegally.
Last week the Oz unit of the immigration authorities was ordered to locate her, and learned the she was in south Tel Aviv.
The woman was very surprised that we arrived and was mostly worried about her son who was with her, said an officer in the unit who participated in the operation. She shook our hands and told us that she would accompany us. She was very surprised but cooperated fully, the officer said. When we reached the office [in Holon] we gave her food and drink and talked a little and she even laughed but she was feeling stressed by the investigation and the possibility that she may be expelled from Israel, the officer added.
We hope that her questioning will contribute to the case against Ms. Priel, a source at the Immigration and Population Authority told Haaretz.
Carmela Menashe, a reporter for Israel Radio who had broken the story in December last year, succeeded in conversing with Virginia though authorities were unable to locate her and subsequently, Attorney General Weinstein announced that if the authorities receive new information that will enable them to find Virginia, the case would be evaluated.
Priel then wrote to Weinstein and commented on the case. During my initial questioning many months ago, I confirmed that I had employed a worker illegally, she wrote. I expressed my regret and I reiterate my willingness to pay the fine which the state sets in such cases. I believe that thus it will be possible to bring the matter to a close.
Virginia worked for Priel for eight months, three times a week, in cleaning and cooking. She had come to Israel to work as a caregiver, and began working for Priel when her work visa expired. The law does not permit employing a foreign worker under terms different from those established by their original visa.
http://bit.ly/c2WGeJ 4 nov 2010, 11:01 , Respect -
Maria 4 nov 2010
Soldier charged for attacking, robbing pizza deliverymen
A soldier from Petah Tikva was charged on Thursday with a year of community service for attacking and robbing two pizza deliverymen.
The soldier and two friends would attack the deliverymen with pepper spray that the soldier got from the IDF.
The soldier will also have to pay each of the pizza deliverymen NIS 1500.
http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=194076
Suspected pedophile arrested in Jerusalem
Police believe man's ultra-Orthodox community urged him to relocate rather than report incidents.
A 43-year-old Jerusalem resident confessed to an accusation of sodomy and indecent acts against three boys ages 6 to 8 as well as girls under 16 years old.
The police suspect that the ultra-Orthodox community in which the resident lived knew of the alleged incidents but chose not to report them to the police or authorities.
Instead, they urged the man to relocate to another neighborhood.
Prosecutors filed an indictment against the suspect, Binyamin Setz, in Jerusalem District Court yesterday.
Authorities allege that Setz offered the children sweets in order to lure them into his home, where he is suspected of performing the indecent acts.
Setz was arrested after the mother of one of the alleged victims, a 5-year-old boy, noticed that her son had sustained bite marks on his genitalia.
According to the indictment, Setz lured the boy into his home and engaged in violent sexual behavior.
After his arrest, other parents came forward with complaints to police that their children were also victimized.
A search of Setz's apartment revealed a photo album that included pictures of dozens of children who live in the neighborhood.
During questioning, Setz confessed to the allegations against him.
Setz is charged with two counts of sodomy and a series of indecent acts.
The state prosecutor's office has also requested that he remain in police custody until all legal proceedings have concluded.
Prosecutors believe he is a danger to the public and that he is liable to harm others if he is released.
http://bit.ly/9NfMw9
Barak responds to 'idiot' insult
In radio interview, Labor chair says Histadrut chairman's televised 'ahbal' comment was 'not appropriate style for public discourse'; adds illegal maid affair 'blown out of proportion' because it involves his wife.
Labor Chairman Ehud Barak shrugged off the affair of his illegal maid as well as a blatant insult by Histadrut Chairman Ofer Eini, who called him an "idiot".
"The only position I haven't held is punching bag. I don't think this is the appropriate style for public discourse." Barak said of his political rival's comment. "Ofer Eini has made mistakes, too."
In an interview with Israel Radio Thursday Barak added that if the maid, an illegal worker from the Philippines, had been hired by anyone by his wife the entire affair would have ended with a fine.
"If Nili (Priell) were not my wife, she would have paid a fine. She has asked to pay one and still has not been answered, for reasons I still don't understand," he said.
"Clearly the employment of a Philippine was a mistake and my wife admitted to this 10 months ago. I suppose that if such a maid had been found at Ofer Eini's brother's home the affair would have ended long ago with a fine," Barak added. "This whole business has just been blown out of proportion."
But over the course of the week the story of Barak's maid grabbed numerous headlines. "You are a minister in the government, why are you bringing in a Filipina," Eini asked on Channel Two television.
"You have to be an idiot to do that," he said, using an Arabic term, "ahbal" that commentators predicted would become a catchword for Barak's opponents in any coming election.
During Thursday's interview, Barak also responded to calls by his party members to quit his position. "The Labor Party has a constitution. There are rules and members are the ones who decide, not a televised interview with Ofer Eini," he said.
"This is the most democratically-ordered party around. But it has never been calm, even in Rabin or Peres's times."
Barak added, "I plan to lead the Labor Party. Those who find this difficult to deal with can leave and we will replace them."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3979662,00.html
Abusive officer gets light sentence
Armored Corps lieutenant who punched soldier receives just 21 days of community service.
An Armored Corps officer convicted of abusing a soldier has signed a plea deal sentencing him to just 21 days of community service and a demotion, Ynet learned Thursday.
The officer, a lieutenant by rank, is being convicted of a non-criminal offense after having been found guilty of spraining a soldier's arm and punching him in the ribs before the eyes of his comrades.
The affair was exposed by Ynet in the summer of 2009, a short time after the IDF conducted an internal investigation that revealed hazing in the Armored Corps' 74th battalion.
After the investigation was concluded a squadron was split up and its commander discharged from the army. Some of the soldiers were tried for criminal offenses and faced severe indictments.
The only loose end still remaining was the indictment against the squadron's deputy commander, Lt. A, who was charged with conduct unbecoming.
The prosecutor in his case, Iyad Azam, explained the plea bargain sentencing him to just 21 days of community service and a demtion. He said the incident occurred after the soldier who was beaten had been rude to the
officer, and that the latter had since been discharged from the IDF and is currently completing academic studies.
Lt. A's attorney, Ilan Katz, said his client had learned his lesson and that he was a good officer. He added that the latter had not meant to cause injury to the soldier, over whom he continued to serve as commander.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3979626,00.html
17 july 2009
Armored Corps soldiers abused by commanders
Several new inductees to 188 Brigade suffer severe beating as part of hazing ceremony. Company commander, officers involved sentenced to various jail, detention periods following inquest. 'IDF will not tolerate such behavior from its soldiers,' says army source.
Severe abuse in the Armored Corps: Several newly inducted soldiers placed with one of the Israeli Defense Forces' Armored Corps brigades were subjected to abuse by their squad commanders as part of a hazing ceremony, Ynet learned Friday.
The soldiers were beaten by seven other servicemen, to the point of suffering substantial bruising and scarring. The event, described as extremely violent, was apparently sanctioned by the company commander, though he did not participate in it personally.
The incident took place in a company which is a part of the Armored Crops' 188 Brigade. The father of one of the soldiers abused told Ynet that while his son was initially reluctant to say how he was hurt, he eventually told him that he and nine other soldiers were subject to a beating.
"They were forced to just stay there like sitting ducks, completely unable to defend themselves, while the others beat them and laugh," he said.
The 10, he said, were severely traumatized, and were able to restore some of their faith in their commanding officers only after learning that the culprits were punished by military authorities.
The brigade commander ordered a full inquest into the case and his investigation found that the officers' actions were in gross breach of IDF norms.
The company commander, a captain, was tried by the commander of the 36th Armored Division (the Ga'ash Division) and sent to 30 days in the brig. He is also facing a dismissal, despite the fact he did not take an active part in the hazing.
Other officers involved in the incident were sentenced to various jail terms. All of them will face a military review board once the serve their sentence, in order to determine their future in the IDF.
'Incident inconsistent with brigade's spirit, ethics'
Military sources said that the grievous nature of the case led the IDF to take what could be considered intransigent action in order to make it clear that it will not tolerate such behavior from its soldiers.
The IDF Spokesman's Unit offered the following comment: "The Armored Corps has recently revealed several unusual incidents of violence and humiliation.
"The brigade and division commanders launched comprehensive inquiries into this incident. In accordance with the findings several steps were taken in order to eradicate this phenomenon, beginning with disciplinary action against those involved, who were sentences to various jail and detention times. Some of them were also removed from the company.
"The company commander was suspended from duty, tried and sentenced to jail. In addition, a team headed by the deputy brigade commander was formed in order to prevent such event form reoccurring, both in the Armored Corps and the IDF.
"The IDF wishes to stress that this was a grievous event which is inconsistent with the brigade's history, accomplishments, spirit and ethics."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3748161,00.html 9 nov 2010, 14:50 , Respect -
Maria 5 nov 2010
Israeli Lieutenant Receives Lax Sentence for Abusing Fellow Soldier in 'Hazing' incident
According to an investigation made by the Israeli military, an Israeli lieutenant was convicted Thursday of beating a fellow soldier and sentenced to a demotion and 21 days of community service.
The Palestine News Network reported that the abuse was discovered in the summer of 2009, during a hazing ceremony for new soldiers. At that time, the Israeli military held an internal investigation.
After the investigation was concluded, the army decided to dissolve the squadron. In addition, some soldiers, who took part in the hazing ceremony, were criminally charged and received jail sentences.
However, the deputy commander, a Lieutenant, was only charged with conduct unbecoming an officer, and was able to use a plea bargain to lessen his sentence, PNN reported.
The lieutenant was found to have punched at least one soldier in the ribs and spraining his arm. But army officials ruled that this assault was a 'non-criminal' offense.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59827 10 nov 2010, 19:40 , Respect -
Maria 8 nov 2010
Suspected gang rape leader signs plea bargain for lesser sentence
13 teens were arrested in march for allegedly raping a teenage girl for three years since she was 15-years-old.
The main suspect in a gang rape case in north Tel Aviv agreed Monday to a plea bargain in which he would admit to a lesser charge than the initial rape indictment, and the State Attorney would ask for a sentence of only six years and eight months in prison.
The suspect was arrested in March, alongside 12 other teenagers suspected for gang raping a teenage girl for over three years, since she was 15-years-old.
The central suspect in the case, who's name remains undisclosed due to his age, will be charged with a more severe degree of assault than the other suspects, as the victim was allegedly in love with him and he orchestrated the encounters.
According to the plea bargain, which will be brought before a Tel Aviv Court judge on Tuesday for approval, the suspect will be permitted to plea for a reduced sentence than the one stated in the plea bargain.
During the confrontations which took place after the arrests in March, two suspects accused the alleged ringleader of arranging all of the meetings with the victim. During the initial questioning he contended that his sexual relationship with the girl was consensual, but investigators said that when he was confronted with evidence such as cell phone videos, he had no response.
Regarding why the case came to light only after three years of assault, it emerged that the girl was admitted to the Ichilov hospital emergency room twice, in 2008 and 2009. A hospital source said that medical personnel could not have known she had been raped by 13 assailants.
She was treated for emotional distress there, and did not mention she had been physically assaulted, and therefore was not sent for physical examinations, he said.
http://bit.ly/bjCJWI 16 nov 2010, 01:43 , Respect -
Maria 9 nov 2010
Senior Israeli lawmaker found guilty
Tzachi Hanegbi
A top Israeli lawmaker has been found guilty of moral turpitude four months after he was found convict of perjury, an Israeli court says.
Tzachi Hanegbi, the chairman of the Israeli Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee of the Knesset, was found guilty on Tuesday, but was cleared of a string of other serious corruption charges.
A three-judge panel ruled that his conviction for perjury involved moral turpitude -- an offence which involves conduct which goes against public morals or community standards.
They also ordered him to pay a fine of 10,000 shekels (USD 2,700), but did not hand him a suspended sentence -- a measure which would have barred him from serving as a minister for the next seven years.
As the ruling bars Hanegbi from continuing to serve in the current Israeli parliament (Knesset), he will have to resign his Knesset position within the next few days, Ha'aretz reported.
In July, Hanegbi was convicted of delivering false statements during his trial on political appointments while he was the environment minister.
Hanegbi's trial is just one in a string of scandals that has plagued political figures in Israel over the past 10 years.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/150264.html
Israel Knesset suspends lawmaker Tzahi Hanegbi
Senior Israeli lawmaker Tzahi Hanegbi has been suspended from parliament after he was found guilty of perjury.
Hanegbi was convicted in July of lying at his four-year-long trial over alleged political appointments during his time as environment minister.
He was cleared of those more serious charges, but a court ruled that perjury amounted to "moral turpitude" - conduct against public morals.
Despite the Jerusalem court judgement Hanegbi can run in future elections.
A member of the opposition Kadima party, Hanegbi was head of the foreign affairs and defence committee at Israel's parliament, the Knesset.
Although a senior opposition figure, he is widely regarded as being close to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and someone who is strongly in favour of Kadima joining the governing coalition.
Israeli press reports said he would likely be replaced by Georgian-born journalist Nino Abesadze, which could jeopardise any coalition deal.
The corruption charges against Hanegbi relate to his term as environment minister in the former Likud cabinet in 2002.
He was cleared of allegations that he appointed fellow Likud members and their relatives to government-related positions. He has always denied any wrongdoing.
In Tuesday's ruling, the Jerusalem Magistrates Court also ordered Hanegbi to pay a fine of 10,000 shekels ($2,750; £1,700).
But it did not hand him a suspended sentence, which would have barred him from serving as a minister for the next seven years.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11718458 16 nov 2010, 01:44 , Respect -
Maria 11 nov 2010
Brooklyn Rabbi Milton Balkany convicted of extortion
(JTA) -- Brooklyn Rabbi Milton Balkany, a Jewish day school director and political activist, was convicted in federal court of extortion.
Balkany, 64, was found guilty Wednesday by a jury in U.S. District Court in Manhattan of extortion, blackmail, wire fraud and making false statements.
He was convicted of trying to extort a $4 million donation to his school, Bais Yaakov of Midwood, from billionaire Steven Cohen's SAC Capital, using damaging information he obtained from an inmate at a federal prison where he served as a spiritual adviser.
Balkany will remain under house arrest until his sentencing on Feb. 18. He could face 20 years in prison.
The rabbi has been active in fund raising for Republican politicians and has lobbied in Washington for several causes.
http://bit.ly/afr1ha
4 charged with selling stolen IDF weapons to criminals
Indictment filed against three defendants who received 10 M-16 files, machine gun and grenade launcher from soldier who smuggled items from army base. Fourth defendant coordinated NIS 230,000 weapons transaction with criminals.
Four men from Netanya, Kfar Yona and Jisr az-Jarqa have been charged with trading weapons which were stolen from an army base two months ago. The four received the weapons from a soldier who stole 10 M-16 rifles, a machine gun and a grenade launcher.
The indictment, which was filed with the Petah Tikva District Court, suggests that one of the defendants, Abed Gharban, 19, asked a soldier to take out weapons from an army base which he would later sell. On the night of September 13, Gharban and two other defendants, Moshe Arbiv, 18, and Amir Yaakov, 28, traveled to a meeting spot near the base.
Two soldiers awaited them there and smuggled the weapons through a hole in the fence. The defendants eventually sold seven rifles, the machine gun and the grenade launcher for NIS 230,000 (roughly $63,500).
The fourth defendant, Muhammad Galouli, 28, took NIS 50,000 (roughly $14,000) for himslef leaving the rest to be split among the other three. The indictment suggests that Gharban gave the other two NIS 53,000 (roughly $14,600) each and kept the rest of the money for himself. He later sold more weapons for NIS 10,000 ($2,761.36).
Gharban coordinated the theft of more weapons from the base later on. The soldier who provided him with the items demanded his share of the proceeds and a conflict developed between the two during which Gharban fired towards the soldier's legs.
Motion for remand
Attorney Ben-Natan.
The four defendants are being charged with weapons trade, weapons transfer and conspiracy to commit a crime. Gharban and Arbiv are also charged with firing in a residential area.
Gharban cooperated with the police and incriminated the other three defendants.
The Central District Prosecutor's Office has motioned to remand the four until all legal proceedings against them are completed, stating they pose a risk to society.
Attorney Nes Ben Natan, who represents Muhammad Galouli, said that the defendants deny all charges and noted that the prosecution built its case on a problematic witness.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3983081,00.html 16 nov 2010, 01:46 , Respect -
Maria 12 nov 2010
Druze soldier, woman killed in 'deliberate crash'
Truck driver smashes into bus station, kills 2, injures 11. 'Crash was deliberate,' police say.
One man was killed and three people were critically injured when a truck drove into a bus stop near a train station in the northern Israeli city of Akko.
The dead man was identified as 20-year-old Druze IDF soldier Aiman Kizal.
A 20-year-old woman who was critically wounded in the incident dies of her wounds Friday morning.
Nine others were hospitalized with mild to moderate injuries. Police officials say the crash was deliberate but not a terror attack.
The Jewish driver, identified as 45-year-old Gabi Chen, told police that he deliberately drove into the station, saying: "The Shin Bet and police killed my child." However, an examination revealed that his two children are alive.
Chen, who appared to be drunk, fled from the scene but was caught and taken in for questioning. Police are investigating reports that a train security guard fired shots at him.
Magen David Adom teams provided first aid to the victims and evacuated them to a hospital in the nearby city of Nahariya. Few victims suffering from head and stomach trauma were airlifted later to the Rambam Hospital in Haifa.
'Not a terror attack'
The possibility that the crash was a terrorist attack was initially considered, but later ruled out by police officials.
"This event disturbed the quiet that characterizes our town," said Akko Mayor Shimon Lankri. "I understood immediately that this wasn't a nationalistic event we preserve the coexistence in this city and take actions to prevent friction."
Police Northern District Commander Shimon Koren, who arrived at the scene, told Ynet the event was not accidental.
"The investigation shows that the driver caused the crash deliberately," he said earlier. "The motivation for the incident is unclear."
Vehicles in an adjacent traffic circle were hit as well. Following the crash, the area surrounding the scene was closed for traffic.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3983423,00.html 16 nov 2010, 18:30 , Respect -
Maria 12 nov 2010
Kosovo: Israeli accused of organ trafficking
Organs sold for as much as €100,000 (illustration)
At least nine people, including former senior Health Ministry official, suspected of involvement in international network. Israeli citizen Moshe Harel listed as wanted by Interpol.
At least nine people, including a former senior Health Ministry official, are suspected of involvement in an international network that falsely promised poor people payment for their kidneys, then sold the organs for as much as €100,000 ($137,000), according to an indictment obtained by The Associated Press.
The indictment is the starkest revelation of the extent of organized crime in the country since Kosovo declared independence in 2008.
The organized criminal group trafficked people into Kosovo for the purpose of removing human organs for transplant, EU prosecutor Jonathan Ratel said in the indictment, which he filed in mid-October. Some 20 foreign nationals "were recruited with false promises of payments" in 2008, he wrote.
Victims were promised up to $20,000 (€14,500), while recipients were required to pay between €80,000 and €100,000 ($110,000-$137,000).
According to the indictment obtained by the AP on Thursday, the victims came from Moldova, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkey, and lived in "extreme poverty or acute financial distress."
The EU prosecution has made requests to secure evidence from authorities in Canada, Germany, Kazakhstan and Turkey, including access to e-mails of two suspects on servers in the United States. Ratel is part of the EU's 2,000-member police and justice mission, which is in charge of serious crime in Kosovo.
Seven Kosovo nationals, including Ilir Rrecaj, a former senior Health Ministry official, have been charged with five counts, ranging from trafficking in persons to unlawful exercise of medical activity and abuse of power. None of the suspects are in custody.
Kristiina Herodes, a spokesman for the EU rule of law mission confirmed the charges.
"Five persons have been charged with offenses of trafficking in human organs, organized crime and abusing official authority and two are charged with unlawful exercise of medical activities," Herodes said Friday.
Two others %u2013 Turkish Dr. Yusuf Sonmez and Moshe Harel, an Israeli citizen %u2013 are listed as wanted by Interpol. Sonmez is the subject of several criminal proceedings in other countries, including Turkey, for human trafficking and removal of organs, according to the indictment.
"Both Sonmez and Harel are fugitives from justice," the indictment said.
The prosecution alleges that one of those indicted, Kosovo surgeon Lutfi Dervishi, was the ringleader of the criminal group. It said Dervishi attended a medical conference in Istanbul in 2006 and asked for someone who could perform organ transplants. He was contacted by Sonmez six months later.
Another Israeli 'unindicted co-conspirator'
Dervishi and Sonmez then carried out the operations in the private medical clinic Medicus, managed by Dervishi's son, Arban Dervishi, who is also indicted. Harel was involved in "identifying, recruiting and transporting victims" and "ensuring the delivery of cash payments by electronic bank transfer" prior to surgery, the indictment said. Two other doctors, Sokol Hajdini and Driton Jilta, are also indicted.
Another two doctors, Israeli national Zaki Shapira and Turkish national Kenan Demirkol, are identified in the 46-page document as "unindicted co-conspirators."
Kosovo law forbids the removal and transplant of organs.
In 2008, investigators closed the private health clinic where the doctors worked as part of the initial investigation. Kosovo police launched a raid triggered by suspicions that a Turkish man had sold his kidney to an Israeli recipient after he appeared fatigued at Pristina airport while trying to board a flight to Turkey.
The man, identified in the indictment as Yilman Altun, told Kosovo police at the airport he came to the Balkan country to donate his kidney on the invitation of the private clinics. A doctor found Altun was not in good medical condition, and sent him to the Pristina hospital for treatment.
When police searched the clinic in November 2008, they found an Israeli citizen in postoperative care, according to the indictment. Police seized medical records and supplies.
Rrecaj was fired from his governmental post after the raids and the suspects were arrested on November 4, 2008. They denied all accusations and were released after 30 days in detention.
Soon after the raid, the Belgrade-based daily newspaper Blic alleged that Dervishi was linked to allegations that members of the Kosovo Liberation Army kidnapped Serb civilians and killed them for their organs, which they later sold.
The allegations of the trade stemmed from a book by former UN War Crimes tribunal prosecutor Carla Del Ponte who claimed that organ harvesting took place in Albania's remote north. Subsequent investigations did not substantiate the claims.
The indictment has been filed in a local court and a hearing is scheduled for the end of the month, according to EU officials. The prosecution can still add the names of other suspects to the indictment and details of their alleged crimes.
The EU has 2,000 justice workers in Kosovo, including police, judges and prosecutors.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3983692,00.html
America's giant Holocaust claims fraud - more than just a blip?
The scam that defrauded the conference of $43 million earmarked for Holocaust survivors was not just a matter of a few bad apples.
You could almost say it was a crime without victims. Sure, $43 million were stolen over the last 16 years through false claims submitted to two funds run by the Claims Conference, the main organization that administers reparations to Jewish Holocaust survivors. And granted, six present and former employees of the organization were at the center of the scam, including the man in charge of overseeing both funds.
But hey, according to Greg Schneider, executive vice president of the Claims Conference, "it's less than one percent of funds distributed under those programs" and no authentic Holocaust survivor received less because of the scam. Well, that's okay then.
And of course, no one is saying this on the record, but most of the money came from the German taxpayer. So don't expect any official recriminations from that quarter.
The Manhattan district attorney was full of praise for the Claims Conference's cooperation in the investigation, saying without its help "in ferreting out this alleged scheme to defraud them, it never would have been exposed." So now the conference will hire an international consulting firm to help it strengthen its anti-fraud measures and everything will be fine. We should have no worries about allowing the conference to remain the Jewish people's sole custodian not only of official reparations from the German government, but also of property confiscated from Jews by the Nazis in former East Germany and other countries, and recently for stolen art treasures as well.
But just a moment. Six employees may seem a small number in a large multinational company or a government agency, but less than 100 people work at the Claims Conference's headquarters in New York, where all the suspects were employed. So even assuming that no other employee was tainted by the corruption, this was not just a matter of a couple of rotten apples; it was a sizable group operating within the organization for 16 years. Sixteen years!
And it doesn't even seem like the fraud was that elaborate. Indeed, it was almost wholesale - 4,957 false one-time payments and 658 fake pension claims.
The conference claims in its defense that this is but a drop in the ocean when compared to the number of recipients to whom it has made payments over the years, over 600,000. But if 5,615 claims were so easily fabricated, who knows how many other thousands of fake Holocaust survivors have been collecting payments over the years? I can't even bear to check the Holocaust denial websites to see how they must be crowing right now.
It would be easy to simply blame the conference for incompetence. But that is only a small part of the problem. The organization has no lack of impressive professionals. For example, Reuven Merhav, the chairman of its executive committee, is a former senior Mossad official, ambassador and director general of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, whose investigative skills were at least sufficient to make him a member of the Turkel Committee that is now investigating May's botched raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla. (Justice Jacob Turkel, the eponymous committee's head, is another Claims Conference director. )
No, the real problem at the Claims Conference seems to have been complacency. From various hints and off-the-record remarks to the press, you get the impression that conference leaders are trying to blame Russian organized crime. Apparently all those indicted had links to the group in Brooklyn's Brighton Beach that ran the operation.
That may well be true. But how does that exonerate the senior executives who allowed members of this gang to serve in positions where they authorized hundreds of millions of dollars a year in payments? Were there no serious background checks?
The conference is nominally accountable to a board of directors representing 25 Jewish organizations from around the world, some of them large and influential, others archaic and unrepresentative of any real Jewish constituency. But what interest do any of these directors have in demanding a comprehensive overhaul of how the conference does business or appointing an external committee to review this latest scandal?
In addition to the money going to survivors, the conference distributes tens of millions of dollars annually to a long list of organizations loosely involved in Holocaust commemoration and education. Many of these institutions are subsidiaries of the organizations represented on Claims Conference board of directors. They are not interested in altering this cozy arrangement, despite claims by survivors' groups that in the final years of survivors' lives, every spare cent should be going to their welfare.
One former director did dare to break ranks: Zeev Bielski, the previous Jewish Agency chairman, demanded answers to some uncomfortable questions. When he did not receive them, he launched an independent audit of his own, revealing to the press that the conference had over $1 billion of liquid assets in reserve.
He also argued that Israel, as home to the majority of living survivors, should have more of a say in how the New York-based organization allocates funds. This, of course, was a grave breach of protocol, and the cash-strapped agency was punished: Funds for its projects were withheld. Bielski was forced to back down with a groveling apology. Others learned the lesson.
The Claims Conference is the richest, most powerful and least answerable old-boys network in the Jewish world. Yet it is entrusted not only with billions of dollars, but with a duty to the welfare of Holocaust survivors worldwide until the end of their days. And no amount of scandal, media exposes and political pressure is about to change that.
http://bit.ly/9vmeDw 18 nov 2010, 11:32 , Respect -
Maria 16 nov 2010
Settler convicted of kidnapping, abusing Palestinian teen
Orit Struk
Shiloh resident Zvi Struk kidnapped 15-year-old boy, beat him and left him naked, blindfolded and bound in field. Yesh Din: Most Palestinian complaints end without indictment .
Zvi Struk from the settlement of Shiloh was convicted Sunday of kidnapping and abusing a bound 15-year-old Palestinian boy.
The 28-year-old settler is the son of Yesha Human Rights Organization head Orit Struk.
The indictment stated that Struk, arrived at an outpost located between Shiloh and Kfar Kusra in the West Bank. He arrived on a mini tractor and began to chase Palestinian youths at the scene.
The youths attempted to escape, but Struk cornered one of them and his friend, armed with Struk's M-16 rifle, began to fire in the air. According to the prosecution, Struk then began to beat the boy, who had put his hands up in surrender, and knocked him to the ground.
The indictment went on to say that Struk's friend continued to beat the boy while he chased another youth, beat him, and dragged him to the mini tractor bleeding. He then proceeded to blindfold and tie him to the tractor, and rode off with his hostage in tow.
Amran Farah after attack
The prosecution claimed that the boy, Amran Farah, lost consciousness during the ride, and was brought to an open field where the two suspects beat him, undressed him, and left him blindfolded and tied. He remained there for a number of hours, until he managed to untie himself and find a car to take him home.
The boy was hospitalized in Nablus, and diagnosed with multiple contusions and lesions all over his body.
Struk had attacked the boy two months earlier, the indictment stated, while the latter was herding sheep with a friend near the village. Struk told them to leave the land, claiming it was his, and then beat the two boys. The settler also killed a young goat belonging to the Palestinian.
Ynet reported Tuesday that Jerusalem District Court Judge Amnon Cohen convicted Struk of assault under severe circumstances, kidnapping with intent to cause severe bodily injury and three more counts of assault.
The Yesh Din human rights group, which accompanied the Palestinian boy throughout the trial, expressed satisfaction with the verdict, but said, "According to our data, some 90% of complaints filed by Palestinians against Israeli citizens that hurt them or their property end without an indictment."
Yesh Din stressed that Struk's accomplice was never caught.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3985625,00.html 25 nov 2010, 12:38 , Respect -
Maria
18 nov 2010
Police chief candidate to face harassment investigation
Attorney-general says appointment of next Police inspector-general to be suspended in light of sexual harassment probe.
Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein on Thursday announced that the appointment of the next police inspector-general will be suspended due to a sexual harassment investigation against a leading candidate for the position.
Weinstein told Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch and Police Insp.-Gen. David Cohen that Major-General Uri Bar-Lev will be investigated for allegedly sexually harassing a consultant working with the Public Security Ministry two years ago.
In a statement, the Justice Ministry said that "in light of the issue's sensitivity and the implications it has for the appointment process, all of the involved parties will make their best effort to complete the investigation as soon as possible."
Bar-Lev responded to Weinstein's announcement, telling Channel Two that he was convinced an investigation would prove beyond all doubt that his behavior had never been less than exemplary.
The woman who filed the sexual harassment complaint against Bar-Lev, filed a similar complaint against Public Security Ministry General-Manager Hagai Peleg. The attorney-general decided not to launch an investigation into the claims against Peleg.
http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=195917
IDF officer suspected of covering up Gaza killing
Commander allegedly attempted to block probe by not giving a report on the death of a Palestinian woman to Military Advocate-General Mandelblit.
An IDF commander is suspected of blocking an investigation into the death of a Palestinian in Gaza, according to reports released on Thursday.
The officer is suspected of not submitting the results of a probe about a woman killed when she approached a Givati Brigade station during Operation Cast Lead.
Military Police is investigating the case, which involves officers in the Rotem battalion of the Givati Brigade, who were supposed to give a report to Military Advocate-General Maj.-Gen. Avichai Mandelblit.
The oversight was revealed during the trial of S., the soldier accused of killing the Palestinian woman in the report. S.'s case was opened in April 2010, when a reserve officer said that he found the report, which had not been transferred to Mandelblit, on an IDF laptop computer.
The soldier's lawyers have demanded that the trial be stopped until Military Police finish investigating the commanders in the case.
http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=195853 25 nov 2010, 12:38 , Respect -
Maria 23 nov 2010
Bar-Lev grilled after second woman complains of assault
Bar-Lev, the representative of the Israel Police in the U.S., returns to Israel and questioned for five hours regarding the two complaints.
Maj. Gen. Uri Bar-Lev, the leading candidate to be next chief of the Israel Police, is being accused of sexual offenses involving a second woman, in addition to the initial complainant, a consultant to the Public Security Ministry who has been identified as O. The second complainant is being referred to by her first initial, M.
Bar-Lev, the representative of the Israel Police in the United States, reported to the offices of the Justice Ministry's Police Investigations Department in Jerusalem yesterday and was questioned for five hours regarding the two complaints. He answered all of the questions put to him and denied both women's accusations. Initially, he appeared to be surprised to learn that he was also under suspicion of improper conduct involving M., who had previously been friendly with O. The two women have a mutual woman friend who is thought to be close to Bar-Lev.
M., who lives in the north, filed her complaint last week after O. provided the Police Investigations Department with detailed testimony against Bar-Lev. The incident involving M. is alleged to have occurred more than four years ago, while O.'s allegations relate to events from more than two years ago.
Bar-Lev is said to have had difficulty recalling the events related to M.'s allegations due to the passage of time, but he denied his conduct in either case involved violence or force toward the women. He did not deny being in the presence of the women at the times alleged, but said his behavior was innocent in nature and adamantly denied that it involved a criminal offense. Bar-Lev was not given a lie detector test, but it is possible that one would be administered in the next several days.
Bar-Lev is being represented by Irit Baumhorn, a former senior Jerusalem-based prosecutor, who gained notoriety for her involvement in the criminal case against former President Moshe Katsav. She said Bar-Lev was confronted with O. and acknowledged that the two had gone out together, but said their time together was in no way sexual in nature. With regard to M., he said he had sexual relations with her five years ago, but they were consensual.
Before entering the interrogation room, Bar-Lev told waiting reporters: "I came to Israel [from the United States] at my own initiative, and I am not being advised by public relations agencies and a battery of lawyers. I am coming with my truth, and it will win out."
The Police Investigations Department has recently collected evidence indicating that at the time of the alleged incident involving Bar-Lev, M. recounted to acquaintances that he had sexually assaulted her. The department is expected to provide the police with the most important evidence it has gathered in the investigation, so that Police Commissioner David Cohen can make a decision, in coordination with Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch, as to whether Bar-Lev should be suspended from his position as police representative in the U.S. A senior police source told Haaretz that, following Bar-Lev's initial interrogation, and in light of the solid evidence presented in support of the allegations, there will be no alternative to suspending Bar-Lev.
Yesterday Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein said the time frame of the Police Investigations Department could not be limited. His senior assistant, Raz Nizri, said Weinstein had asked all involved to make every effort to wrap up matters as quickly as possible, but setting a deadline in the investigation was not appropriate.
http://bit.ly/foZ1FO
Foreign Ministry: Mall carts an embarrassment
Dozens of Israelis arrested every year in malls worldwide for working in sales illegally. As holiday season approaches, Foreign Ministry urges young Israelis, 'Don't break the law, we won't be able to help'.
The Foreign Ministry has declared a war on mall carts: The Christian holiday season, including Christmas and the New Year, is known as a record breaking period for local consumer sales. Many Israelis, mostly in their twenties, take advantage of shopping season madness in order to travel and make a killing in the local malls, often working in the country illegally.
The Foreign Ministry which is usually asked to intervene when they get into trouble is making it clear in advance this year: We won't be able to help Israeli detainees.
A memo distributed by the head of the department of consular services for Israelis abroad Amnon Kalmar, called on consular representatives in North America and Western Europe to take steps to minimize the phenomenon of illegal mall carts during the holiday season.
Carts damage image abroad (Photo: Getty Images Bank)
According to Kalmar: "Every year many young Israelis go abroad to try their luck. They are tempted by the adventure and by the promise of fast and easy money, but the adventure usually ends with them being arrested and even deported from the country." Talking to Ynet, Kalmar estimated that dozens of Israelis are arrested abroad every year.
"We mostly get to meet them when they are arrested for working or staying in the country illegally, and then we are asked to help them and get them out of the situation they find themselves in," he said.
"The main problem with the whole story is expectations gap between them and us %u2013 they are convinced that we can save them and solve their problems, but in fact, we can't intervene in any legal proceedings against them outside of Israel. The families urge us to act for their early release, but the issue isn't even in our hands. We can't speed up legal proceedings with a local judge," explained Kalmar.
Kalmar said that every year the Foreign Ministry offers detainees consular, logistical and humanitarian assistance and makes sure, among other things that the detainees are held in reasonable conditions and receive kosher food and telephone calls.
Yet Kalmar stresses that these arrests are unnecessary and are harmful to Israel's image: "First and foremost we would like to appeal to the young Israelis who hear stories from their friends, go out to work and aren't always aware of the destination country's laws. After they are arrested, they can't handle being in detention facilities and prisons and they turn to us".
He noted that some of the detainees are forced to remain in prison for over a month. "The people involved are usually good people, who have just completed their IDF service, and it is important that they understand what they are heading for, If you work illegally you could end up in prison, deportation and a situation which leaves you unable to return to the country for a very long time, if at all.
"Our message is clear: Going abroad? Respect local laws and avoid staying and working in the country illegally."
Reminder: No free lunches
"Dead Sea products belong on the shelves of the finest US department stores, not illegal mall carts" Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon told Ynet. He joined those condemning the mall cart phenomenon and told of the damages caused by the young Israelis' behavior: "Israel invests a lot of effort in marketing and PR and any Illegal Israeli behavior is improper and hurtful to those efforts."
Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman for domestic media, Yossi Levi explained that "when an Israeli citizen breaks the law in a foreign country, he is also hurting Israel's reputation and the reputation of other Israelis who may have to pay the price for his actions %u2013 for example in Israel's entry visa "credit rating".
"Breaking the law is indecent, immoral and deserves to be punished in any country; we stress again and again, remember that and act with extreme care.
"We would like to remind Israelis that there is no such thing as a free lunch, with the possible exception of the meager breakfast served in a moldy detention cell somewhere."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3988502,00.html 25 nov 2010, 12:39 , Respect -
Maria 25 nov 2010
Lie detector incriminates police cmdr charged with sex crimes
Uri Bar-Lev interrogated for several hours, denies allegations by M, who says he drugged, raped her.
Ynet learned Thursday that the results of a lie-detector test taken by Police Commander Uri Bar-Lev have incriminated him, as some of his answers were found to be false, and that detectives may summon him to an additional interrogation.
Bar-Lev, who is suspected of sexual offenses, was interrogated for several hours Wednesday evening. He told police during the lie-detector test that he had engaged in sexual intercourse with one of the complainants in the case against him, but that he had not drugged or raped her.
Immediately after the interrogation Bar-Lev, who is currently a candidate in the race for police commissioner, headed to the private residence of his attorney, Irit Baumhorn. The results of the lie-detector test are to be published Thursday.
Bar-Lev admitted during questioning that he had sex with M, one of the complainants in the case, but that he had not drugged her or engaged in a threesome with S, his girlfriend.
The commander, who currently serves as the police attaché in Washington, told police he had summoned M to a threesome with S, but that she had never been drugged or raped. "She knew why she was invited to the hotel room in Herzliya," he said. S said she had watched some of the sexual act and that it had been consensual.
During the interrogation, police came to the conclusion that M's testimony is problematic because it would be difficult to prove she had been drugged before having sex.
Bar-Lev was also asked about an Eilat convention at which he is suspected of having sexually assaulted another woman, A, two years ago. The interrogation, which began at 4 pm, ended around 11, at which time Bar-Lev emerged expressing hopefulness.
A told women supporting her Wednesday that she was sorry she had not come forward with he r complaints against Bar-Lev sooner. She said, however, that she would attempt to enlighten the public through a court battle.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3989619,00.html 7 dec 2010, 23:59 , Respect -
Maria 30 nov 2010
Elior Chen convicted of abusing 8 children
Jerusalem District Court convicts self-proclaimed rabbi of abusing, assaulting helpless minors as well as counts of mental abuse. 'There was no due process,' he said after hearing.
A week after three of his followers were sentenced to 17-20 years in prison, self-proclaimed rabbi Elior Chen was convicted of the charges against him by the Jerusalem District Court. "There was no due process. The judge prevented me from studying the material and cross-examining witnesses," he said.
Chen was convicted of abusing and assaulting helpless minors as well as charges of physical and mental abuse.
Judge Yoram Noam stated in the verdict: "The testimonies of the mother and children were reliable and faithfully described the events%u2026a rough reality was depicted, indicating the children lived under a violent and cruel regime led by Chen and were constantly beaten, abused and humiliated."
In November 2009, an indictment was filed against Chen which detailed unimaginable abuse committed by Chen and his followers. Chen was charged with abusing eight brothers from Jerusalem. The abuse involved the burning of organs and the use of hammers. One of the victims is in a vegetated state as a result of the abuse.
Chen escaped to Brazil when the affair was first made public and was eventually arrested and extradited to Israel. His trial opened earlier this year after repeated delays.
After the reading of the verdict, Yaakov, Chen's father said he was not surprised by the ruling but that he is confident his son is innocent. "He only taught Torah. The whole thing was fixed. The police are corrupt. We believe in him," he said.
Chen's mother noted that the media judged her son even before the trial started. "He didn't escape to Brazil, he meant to come back," she added.
The mother of the children, who was found guilty of handing her daughter over to the "abusive rabbi," was sentenced six months ago to five years behind bars.
Last week after Chen's followers were sentenced to prison the children's father told Ynet that no prison sentence could heal the scars
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3992052,00.html