No one above the law? Riots following Rabbi Lior's arrest
Photo: Gil Yohanan
Radicals in State’s service
Op-ed: Officials who launched needless probe against Rabbi Dov Lior are also extremists
Radicals from both sides clashed in Jerusalem this past week. On the one hand, we saw extremists wearing large kippas who stormed the Supreme Court compound, blocked the entrance to the city and sprayed gas on an innocent journalist. On the other hand, radicals in the service of the State, who held an admired rabbi for questioning only because of an introduction he wrote to an embarrassing book.
Yes, senior State Prosecution officials can also be radicals. They convey an image of wisdom, and possess academic education and impressive rhetorical abilities, yet a zealous soul hides within them. They are the Neturei Karta of the rule of law, the hilltop youth of the Justice Ministry.
Rule of Law
Aviad Glickman
Justice minister refuses to yield to extreme rightists who accosted him at morning prayers
The State Prosecution’s insistence on applying the full criminal procedure to Rabbi Dov Lior, regardless of the price, is a destructive phenomenon. At best, it is akin to the behavior of an elephant in a china shop. There isn’t even one plate that the learned comrades at the attorney general’s office don’t step on proudly once in a while.
By the way, what is there to probe anyway? After all, this is not a case of some complex corruption affair or mysterious assaults. Rabbi Lior wrote what he wrote clearly and openly. He does not claim that somebody else forged his signature. So why was it so important for him to report at the police station? Couldn’t they conclude this story with a phone call? By law, he has the right to remain silent in any case.
Nobody above law?
A former justice minister, Moshe Nissim, and a former Supreme Court justice, Yaakov Tirkel, slammed the decision to forcefully interrogate the Kiryat Arba rabbi. Even decent leftists voiced their reservations. With a hint of intellectual courage, State Prosecution officials could have admitted that a mistake was made, yet radicals never admit to anything. They only sink deeper into the swamp of their stubbornness.“No residents in the State of Israel are above the law,” prosecutors and police officials stated ,as usual. Oh, come on. There are plenty of residents in Israel who are above the law. For example, tens of thousands of Bedouins and Arabs who built homes in the Negev and Galilee without a permit, or a Knesset member who sailed last year on the armed Marmara ship. The rule of law turned a blind eye to them, for good or bad reason.
The Jewish rioters in Bilin and Naalin are also forgiven by the government every week. Perhaps officials reached the conclusion that they at times they need to be flexible with the rules as not to spark needless wars. Yet only when it comes to rabbis, officials tend to insist on the finest details. It is no wonder then that the rabbis do not rush to comply when they are being summoned for an interrogation.
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