Settlers in Kiryat Arba (Archive)
Photo: Avraham Sonnenschein
High Court toughens violent settlers' sentence
Judges accept State's appeal, decides to augment punishment of two Kiryat Arba residents who abused young Bedouins for 'fraternizing with community's daughters' and send them to prison. Settler community outraged over decision, charges court 'filled with left-wing judges'
The High Court of Justice rejected Tuesday the appeal of two Kiryat Arba settlers to reduce their punishment after they were found guilty of assaulting and kidnapping two Bedouins, and sentenced them to six to eight months in prison, thus accepting the State's appeal to augment the verdict.
Tuvia Zelinger, the security chief of Kiryat Arba, and Alexander Kogen, a patrolman in the settlement, were convicted by the Jerusalem District Court in December 2005 in the framework of a plea bargain. The two admitted to aggravated assault, abduction for the purpose of threatening, and abusing their position.
The two men admitted they attacked two Bedouin youths who arrived at the settlement's entrance gate accompanied by two female settlers. According to their confession, Kogen aimed his weapon at the young men, cursed them and threatened them. Zelinger, who arrived at the place a short while later, "came to the conclusion that the phenomenon of young Bedouins fraternizing with local girls needs to be stopped," Judge Eliezer Rivlin described in the ruling.
Settlers stole money, smashed car's windows
The settlers then forced the young Bedouins into their car and drove them to a secluded location where Zelinger beat up the youngsters, assisted by a Kiryat Arba teenager, while Kogen secured the place.
Before releasing the youngsters, Kogen and Zelinger stole a radio tape and NIS 4,800 from the Bedouins' vehicle and then smashed the car's windows.
The District Court sentenced Zelinger to seven months community service and five months probation, while Kogen received four months community service and another four months probation. The two were also ordered to pay 5,000 each as compensations to their victims. The settlers appealed the High Court against the severity of the punishment, while the State on its part appealed its leniency.
After accepting the State's appeal, the High Court sentenced Zelinger to eight months prison time and Kogen to six months in jail.
Jewish community infuriated
Members of the Jewish community in Kiryat Arba and Hebron were infuriated with the court's ruling, and told Ynet: "It is outrageous that one of the judges on the panel was none other then (Israeli-Arab) Judge Salim Jubran. We wonder what would have happened if someone from the Jewish community in Hebron was asked to discuss the cases of Arabs."
The settlers warned that there was "much fury" in Kiryat Arba, and that a number of actions aimed at undermining the legitimacy of the High Court were in works. "There is real distress in Kiryat Arba over the constant dealings of Arabs with daughters of the community. What would happen had an Arab tried to consort with the judge's daughter? Would it still be taken lightly," one settler asked.
Head of the Jewish community in Hebron, Itamar Ben Gvir, was also enraged over the decision: "Such rulings prove our point, that the High Court is filled with left-wing judges."
