Yaakov (Jack) Teitel disrupted Jerusalem District Court on Sunday when he stood up suddenly and told the judges in English that he opposes "this whorehouse" which he said had no legitimacy to try him. Teitel is accused
of various acts over a period of many years which have earned him the title of "Jewish terrorist."
Teitel told the judges he accepts the Torah judgment alone, reiterated that the court was not authorized to try him, and said "God is king."
Last November an indictment was submitted against him, including 14 paragraphs detailing 12 years of terror. According to the allegations against him, in 1997 he murdered taxi driver Samir Akram Balbisi in Jerusalem, and shepherd Issa Jabrin near Susya. He then returned to his country of birth, the United States, before coming back to Israel where he tried to harm police officers and Palestinians a number of times.
Teitel in court on Sunday (Photo: Gil Yohanan)
According to the indictment, he also placed an explosive device in the house of Prof. Ze'ev Sternhell who was lightly wounded, and sent a booby-trapped gift to a family of Messianic Jews in Ariel, seriously wounding their teenage son Ami Ortiz.
The court debate centered round contradictory medical opinions regarding Teitel. One asserted he was not fit to stand trial, while another said he was fit to stand trial and
responsible for his actions. During the debate, Teitel's attorneys Michael Ironi and Asher Ohayon requested the raw material on which the medical opinions were based so they could fully understand the second opinion.
Representative of the State Prosecution Sagi Ofir agreed to the request, and the court ruled that the two sides would submit a joint injunction permitting the psychiatrists to submit the raw material.
Ohayon also said Teitel would not agree to cooperate with the court. "The most he is willing to do, after much effort, is to be passive," Ohayon said, referring to "higher" orders which would not permit Teitel to do more than this.
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