A7News: A-G rips Justice Minister: Obeying the court is not a choice

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Thursday, Jun. 13 '19, י' בסיון תשע"ט





HEADLINES:
1. A-G RIPS JUSTICE MINISTER: OBEYING THE COURT IS NOT A CHOICE
2. ADVISER TO EU COURT: LABEL PRODUCTS FROM JUDEA AND SAMARIA
3. US ARMY CADET EXPELLED FOR NEO-NAZI ACTIVITY
4. 'WHEN HAARETZ ATTACKS US, WE'VE DONE SOMETHING GOOD'
5. NIKKI HALEY: 'ISRAEL SHOULD NOT BE WORRIED' ABOUT US PEACE PLAN
6. SHAKED: I WILL WIN THE MOST SEATS
7. IDF ATTACKS HAMAS TERRORIST INFRASTRUCTURE
8. GERMAN JEWS MOVING TO ISRAEL DUE TO RISING ANTI-SEMITISM


1. A-G RIPS JUSTICE MINISTER: OBEYING THE COURT IS NOT A CHOICE
by Arutz Sheva Staff

Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit responded Thursday to Justice Minister Amir Ohana's statements that there are court decisions which the government may not abide by.

"The State of Israel is a Jewish and Democratic State based on the principle of the rule of law. The obligation to obey the rulings of the courts is a basic element that serves as a guarantee for the protection of the right of every citizen of the state," the Attorney General\s Office said in a statement.

Mandelblit also criticized Ohana for suggesting that a file had been opened against him upon his appointment as justice minister.

"It should be said that before the eyes of the law enforcement authorities and the general prosecution - headed by the Attorney General and the State Attorney - there are only substantive and professional considerations, and decisions are made only on the basis of the evidence and legal provisions, and not, heaven forbid, because of a foreign consideration. Law enforcement officials are dedicated public servants who work day and night to protect the citizens of the state, their security, their property, and their welfare," he said.

"The Attorney General will continue to work in full cooperation with the Minister of Justice and with the Government, while ensuring a fruitful and respectful dialogue," the statement concluded.

The attorney general's statement followed similar criticism of Minister Ohana by Supreme Court Chief Justice Justice Esther Hayut.

"Following an interview broadcast yesterday with the Justice Minister, it's important for me to tell you that in my opinion, the fact that a Justice Minister in the State of Israel, on his inauguration day, chooses to share with us an unprecedented and irresponsible legal outlook, according to which not all verdicts handed by a court need necessarily be respected, must be viewed with utmost seriousness," Hayut said.

"In other words, every litigant will be able, with the Justice Minister's blessing, to choose which judgment to uphold and which not. I want to say only one thing about this: Between this worldview and the anarchy of 'every man, what is good in his eyes will do' - the road is short," she added.

Mandelblit and Justice Hayut responded to an interview given by Justice Minister Ohana on News 12, during which he was asked about his previous statement that not every court ruling should be observed. Ohana said, "Tali Hatuel lived in Gush Katif. She reached the Kissufim route and was shot by terrorists who reached the road. It appears the terrorists reached the Kissufim road under the protection of a number of structures. The army had identified the buildings as a security threat but the Supreme Court, although lacking expertise, decided to prevent the demolition."

When asked if in some cases Supreme Court decisions need not be obeyed, Ohana responded: "The supreme consideration should be to protect the lives of the citizens, yes."


2. ADVISER TO EU COURT: LABEL PRODUCTS FROM JUDEA AND SAMARIA
by AFP

A senior adviser to the EU's top court said Thursday it was his legal advice that products from Judea and Samaria must be clearly labelled as such to avoid misleading consumers.


The European Court of Justice is not obliged to follow Advocate General Gerard Hogan's advice, but the former Irish judge's legal opinions are seen as highly influential in the bench's deliberations.


The ECJ is considering a request from France's top tribunal for clarification of rules on labeling goods from Judea and Samaria, eastern Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights.


In legal advice to the court, Hogan said that, under EU rules, labels must make it clear if products originate in "occupied territory," and in particular if they come from Israeli communities in those areas.


"EU law requires, for a product originating in a territory occupied by Israel since 1967, the indication of the geographical name of this territory and, where it is the case, the indication that the product comes from an Israeli settlement," an ECJ statement outlining Hogan's legal opinion said.


France published guidelines in 2016 saying products from Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria and the Golan Heights must carry labels making their precise origin clear, but this was challenged by the Organization Juive Europeene (European Jewish Organisation) and Psagot Winery located in the Binyamin region.


In his opinion, Hogan said the EU rules on labeling products take into account "ethical considerations" that might influence a consumer's purchases.


Drawing a comparison with the way many Europeans boycotted South African products during apartheid, Hogan said people now might choose to avoid goods from a particular country "because it pursues particular political or social policies which that consumer happens to find objectionable or even repugnant".


Referring to Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria, Hogan said: "It is hardly surprising that some consumers may regard this manifest breach of international law as an ethical consideration that influences their consumer preferences and in respect of which they may require further information.


"The absence of the indication of the country of origin or place of provenance of a product originating in a territory occupied by Israel and, in any event, a settlement colony, might mislead the consumer as to the true country of origin or place of provenance of the food," he said.


The 2016 French ruling drew an angry response from Israel, which accused Paris of aiding a boycott of the Jewish state and of double standards by ignoring other territorial disputes around the world.


A major diplomatic row erupted between the EU and Israel in 2015 when Brussels drew up rules that effectively declared that products from Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria had to be labelled as such across the bloc.


3. US ARMY CADET EXPELLED FOR NEO-NAZI ACTIVITY
by Marcy Oster/JTA

A cadet in the Army Reserve Officers Training Corps was kicked out of her unit at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte after posting neo-Nazi and anti-Semitic content online.

Martha Gerdes also tweeted tacit support for the attack on the Tree of Life synagogue building in a Pittsburgh suburb which left 11 Jewish worshippers dead.

"I actually don't give a shit about Jews getting shot up except insofar as it's going to make it a lot harder for a lot of white people to just exist," she tweeted on Oct. 28, a day after the attack.

"Cadet Martha Gerdes of UNC Charlotte was investigated by the United States Army Cadet Command for online behavior that is not consistent with the Army values," Army Maj. Robert Carter, chief of public affairs at Army Cadet Command, told Army Times, which first reported her firing. "During the investigation Cadet Gerdes admitted to posting anti-Semitic, racist and ant-LBGTQIA statements on her Twitter account '@femanon.'"

While she is being dis-enrolled from the ROTC program, it is not known whether she will be allowed to remain a student at UNC Charlotte.

She reportedly was kicked out of Davidson College at the beginning of the school year over the same allegations, according to the report.

The Twitter account has been suspended, although some of her posts were archived online by an unnamed activist group, according to the Army Times.

Other tweets read: "gas the kikes race war now," "the only thing Hitler did wrong was making German National Socialism into his own cult of personality," "the 1920′s was the best decade, I was born in the wrong era," which was posted alongside photos of Ku Klux Klan members.


4. 'WHEN HAARETZ ATTACKS US, WE'VE DONE SOMETHING GOOD'
by Arutz Sheva Staff

Minister of Internal Security and Strategic Affairs Gilad Erdan fiercely attacked Israeli newspaper Haaretz for its criticism against him on Thursday.

"Ha'aretz, which often compares Israel to the Nazis and aids in delegitimizing Israel to the world, again devoted its editorial to attacking me - what an honor," Erdan wrote in a Facebook post.

"This time they hit a new record," Erdan continued. 'The country is sobbing for the violation of the freedom of speech of the Palestinians and their supporters.' What's the violation? The fact that my office and I are working in every possible way against anti-Semitic and anti-terrorist BDS organizations."

"After all, we already know that when Haaretz attacks something fiercely, it's a sign that we did something really good - so this is a good thing. But it's also important to remember that Haaretz is simply on the side of those who are fighting against us and those who don't want a Jewish state here. Their hypocrisy cries to heaven. They take advantage of the endless freedom of expression in Israel in a distorted way and fight for the freedom of expression of our enemies and their supporters. And against who? Not against the corrupt Abbass or the murderous Hamas - they're against us," Erdan added.

"Haaretz - you should be ashamed," Erdan concluded.


5. NIKKI HALEY: 'ISRAEL SHOULD NOT BE WORRIED' ABOUT US PEACE PLAN
by Arutz Sheva Staff

Israelis have nothing to fear from the Trump administration's peace plan, former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said.

Speaking to Israel Hayom Editor-in-Chief Boaz Bismuth on Thursday in New York, Haley said that she had read the administration's peace plan, and thinks that "it is very thoughtful, and very well done and it very much takes into account both sides' vulnerabilities and both sides' wants."

She asserted that "Israel should not be worried" the US will demand something from Israel in return for recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital and Israeli sovereignty in the Golan Heights.

"Through the Middle East plan, one of the main goals that Jared Kushner [President Donald Trump's senior strategic adviser] and [US Special Representative for International Negotiations] Jason Greenblatt focused on was to not hurt the national security interests of Israel. They understand the importance of security, they understand the importance of keeping Israel safe."

"I think everybody needs to go into it with an open mind, everybody should want a peace plan," Haley said. "Everybody should want to make way for a better situation in Israel and I think it can happen. So rather than pushing back against what we don't know, I hope everybody would lean in on what the possibilities of what the peace plan could look like and think of a better life for everyone."

Asked if she thinks the plan has a chance of succeeding, Haley said, "I am an optimist. It's not going to be easy. Both sides won't love it. And both sides won't hate it. But both sides have to want peace. And if they do, they will be deciding the details. Not the US. And I think it is worth taking that chance. It is worth trying for."

Nevertheless, she added that "At this point, it is hard to see an opportunity in which Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is even going to come to the table, and I think that … it shows Abbas' true colors. It shows the Arab community's true colors, that they [the Arab states] don't really care about the Palestinians, because if the Palestinians were that much of a priority, everybody would be holding Abbas' hand and leading him to the table. Everybody and Abbas himself would want better."


6. SHAKED: I WILL WIN THE MOST SEATS
by Arutz Sheva Staff

Former Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked stated that she wants to lead a united list of the various small right-wing parties, Kan 11 News reported.

"I will bring the most seats," Shaked told Jewish Home party activists last week.

Shaked announced earlier Tuesday that she would run for the Knesset in the upcoming elections despite failing to clear the electoral threshold in the previous elections in April.

Speaking at a conference hosted by the Associate of Corporate Counsel Israel (ACC) in Tel Aviv, Shaked responded to questioning from journalist Ben Caspit regarding her plans for the upcoming election.

"I'll be returning now," the former Justice Minister said.

Shaked, who less than two months ago announced she was leaving politics, began hinting at a possible return after coalition talks between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and allies failed to yield an agreement, culminating in a decision to dissolve the Knesset and go to early elections.

Last week, Shaked alluded to a possible return to the Justice Ministry, just days after Netanyahu fired her, transferring the ministry to Likud MK Amir Ohana.


7. IDF ATTACKS HAMAS TERRORIST INFRASTRUCTURE
by Elad Benari

Israeli warplanes attacked an underground terrorist infrastructure in a military compound belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization in southern Gaza overnight Wednesday, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said.

The air strike was carried out in response to the rocket fire from Gaza toward southern Israel earlier in the night.

"The IDF will continue to act against attempts to harm Israeli citizens and see the terrorist organization Hamas as responsible for everything happening inside and outside of the Gaza Strip," the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said in a statement.

Earlier, sirens were sounded in the Eshkol Regional Council of southern Israel.

The IDF Spokesperson's Unit confirmed that one rocket that was fired from Gaza into Israeli territory was intercepted by the Iron Dome.

There were no reports of physical injuries or damages.

The rocket attack followed an announcement by the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) that, following the continued fires and launching of incendiary balloons from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory, it was decided to impose a naval blockade on the Gaza Strip until further notice.

On Wednesday afternoon, for the first time since a ceasefire was declared after the recent flare-up on the Gaza border, two explosive-laden balloons were fired from Gaza, exploding near one of the communities in the Eshkol Council.

There were no injuries or damages.

Since Wednesday morning, six fires have broken out in the Gaza envelope as a result of incendiary balloons launched from the Gaza Strip.

Incendiary balloons have caused 20 fires in the region so far this week.



8. GERMAN JEWS MOVING TO ISRAEL DUE TO RISING ANTI-SEMITISM
by i24News

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