The Jerusalem District Court on Wednesday ruled that the alleged "Jewish terrorist" Jack Teitel is fit to stand trial for the murder of two Arabs and a series of other serious offences. The court considered various opinions on the matter before reaching a decision. Teitel's trial is set to resume in the following weeks.
Attorney Michael Ironi, representing Teitel, motioned for a hearing on his client's criminal accountability. The panel ruled that there are no grounds for summoning expert witnesses again and that a hearing on the issue of accountability will be held during the trial.
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Teitel was seen reading a book and paying little attention to what was going on during Wednesday's court hearing.
Teitel, 37, a resident of the West Bank settlement of Shvut Rachel, was indicted for the murder of Palestinian taxi driver, Samir Balbisi, in June 1997, and the murder of a Palestinian shepherd just a few months later. He was also charged with laying an explosive device next to a Palestinian home near the West Bank settlement of Eli.
He was also indicted for attempting to murder the son of a Messianic family living in Ariel when he sent an explosive device disguised as a Purim gift to their home. In addition, he is charged with rigging a bomb next to Prof. Zeev Sternhell's home.
In May 2010, a professional psychiatric opinion deemed him unfit for trial. "I don't know if I'm sane. I don't recognize the jurisdiction of this court. I feel good," Teitel said at the time. Last August, a second psychiatric evaluation determined the opposite .
Omri Efraim contributed to this report