Right, Left unite against police
Police suffer two blows from Jerusalem courts which rule Sheikh Jarrah protests legal, no need to keep Rabbi Shapira in custody. Elements on both sides of political spectrum claim police violate human rights
The leftist protest in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in east Jerusalem forcefully dispersed and ending with the arrest of dozens of demonstrators, and the arrest of Rabbi Yitzhak Shapira suspected of knowing that his yeshiva students torched the mosque in the Palestinian Yasuf village, incurred rage on both ends of the political spectrum.
The criticism leveled by Jerusalem courts of the police in both cases served to bolster their claims.
Director of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel Hagai Elad was arrested in Sheikh Jarrah two weeks ago together with 16 of his fellow protestors. After 36 hours in police custody the detainees were released with no restrictions and were not indicted. "It is unfortunate that it took two rulings by Jerusalem Magistrate's Court judges to show the police what should have been obvious to them," he told Ynet.
In a Jerusalem Magistrate's Court hearing Thursday discussing the indictments filed against 18 protestors who were arrested in Sheikh Jarrah last Friday, Justice Gad Erenberg ruled that contrary to the police's assertion, such protests were not illegal and do not require a special permission.
Also Thursday, the Jerusalem District Court denied an appeal against the Magistrate's Court's ruling to release Rabbi Shapira from custody.
"The Civil Rights Association welcomes the court's ruling, which defends the existence of protest watches in Israel," Elad said. "The decision is a triumph for the freedom of expression of any citizen seeking to voice his opinions."
It should be noted that the Civil Rights Association does not organize the east Jerusalem demonstrations, but takes an active part in them.
Elad was also puzzled over Rabbi Shapira's arrest. "Without addressing the details of the rabbi's arrest, the police's use of penalizing arrests against people who are not needed for investigation purposes and do not pose a danger to the public is wrong and has no room in a democratic regime."
Right defends leftists' rights
While leftist elements opposed Rabbi Shapira's arrest, parties in the right-wing surprisingly expressed their support of the Sheikh Jarrah demonstrators and championed their right to protest.
Nachi Eyal, Director-General of the Legal Forum for the Land of Israel said maintaining human rights was not a guiding principle for the police.
"The harsh criticism leveled by judges of police conduct towards young men and women who wish to protest the government's policy in Judea and Samaria has become a regular item in news broadcasts. The police don't always take the hint," he said.
Eyal called on the police to change its behavior and stressed that the court's criticism illustrates the need for an overall change in conduct. He said that the legal system and the other authorities should fight for civilians's basic human rights.
According to Eyal the forum will promote an urgent debate in the Knesset's Internal Affairs Committee regarding human rights "which are violated for no reason and contrary to democratic principles."
Efrat Weiss contributed to this report
