Israeli justice system

Former President of Israel's Supreme Court Aharon Barak. (פרס א.מ.ת/CC BY-SA 3.0)

The man who helped build Israel’s legal infrastructure of oppression

Aharon Barak says he is concerned about Israeli democracy, but he bears responsibility for no small part of where the country is today. By Hagai El-Ad Former Chief Justice Aharon Barak is completely at peace with his ruling on targeted assassinations. On a recent episode of an Israeli investigative TV program, he went so far…

By +972 Magazine July 4, 2019

Joint List MK Basel Ghattas is brought to court for a remand on his arrest at the Rishon Lezion Magistrate's Court, December 27, 2016. (Yair Sagi/Flash90)

In bid to expel Arab MK, Israel manages to break its own record

MK Basel Ghattas will serve two years for smuggling cellphones to Palestinian security prisoners. That’s a longer sentence than the one handed down to an Elor Azaria, who executed an incapacitated Palestinian. Congratulations are in order to the attorney general and the Knesset for the latest Arab they managed be put up on the cross.…

By Orly Noy March 18, 2017

The body of a Palestinian teen is seen on the street near damascus gate, in Jerusalem, October 10, 2015. The teen, later identified as Ishaq Badran, 16, from Kafr Aqab, was shot and killed by the Israeli police after carrying out an alleged stabbing attack in the area. The death of the suspected attacker brings the total number of Palestinians killed since Oct. 1 to 10, while four Israelis, including two settlers, have been killed in the same time period. (photo: Anne Paq/Activestills.org)

Who needs justice when suspects can be executed in the street?

From one fatal police shooting to the next, the Israeli legal system is becoming less and less relevant, and is losing its ability to fulfill its role. Yesterday I published John Brown’s latest article on my Facebook wall. The article includes a video that clearly shows Fadi Alloun, the young Palestinian man from Issawiya, being…

By Orly Noy October 11, 2015

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Opposite a pro-refugee rally, residents of south Tel Aviv protest the presence of African asylum seekers in their community, Tel Aviv, May 2, 2015. (Photo by Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

Imprisoned for incitement on Facebook? Only if you’re Arab

Racist and inciting Facebook statuses by Israeli Jews have become commonplace on the Internet. Yet not a single Israeli has ever been sent to prison for publishing a status on social media. By John Brown* and Noam Rotem We do not live in a state where people are equal before the law. This is a…

By +972 Magazine July 10, 2015

A man inspects Qurans damaged in a suspected arson hate crime against a mosque in the West Bank village of Al Mughayir, November 12, 2014. (Photo by Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

Who’s afraid of Israeli hate crimes?

What the government calls ‘nationalist crimes’ are not random acts of violence—they have a clear goal: dispossessing Palestinians of their land. By Yesh Din, written by Yossi Gurvitz From time to time, this country is shaken by a particularly severe wave of nationalistically-motivated hate crimes against Palestinians, often in the form of arson or desecration of a religious…

By +972 Magazine June 28, 2015

A masked Jewish settler uses a slingshot to throw stones at Palestinians [illustrative photo] (Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

A court of non-convictions when the victim is Palestinian

When Israelis are accused of victimizing Palestinians, nearly 25% of convictions are simply thrown out — to avoid tarring the criminal with a criminal record. By Yossi Gurvitz, written for Yesh Din Every year Yesh Din publishes data about police investigative failures regarding crimes carried out by Israelis against Palestinians in the West Bank. They…

By +972 Magazine June 13, 2015

Palestinian farmers from the West Bank village of Qaryut assess the damage done to their olive trees the day before by Israeli settlers, October 20, 2013. Officials from the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture on the scene counted 60 trees damaged belonging to 12 different farmers. (photo: Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Activestills.org)

When the judge is your enemy, to whom shall you complain?

The Israeli justice system – from its inaccessible police stations to its lenient prosecutors, from its negligent investigators to its judges who won’t convict – makes it clear to the Palestinians that there is simply no point in lodging complaints. By Yossi Gurvitz, written for Yesh Din “The spectrum of possible reasons for the lack…

By +972 Magazine June 3, 2015