- Moderator
- #1
Interesting - after 4 months and still no certainty. Compare that to the murder of the 3 Israeli youths and how quickly justice was served. Will the family homes be demolished? I doubt it. What about those sheltering the killers? eh.
Israel announces arrests in arson attack that killed Palestinian toddler and parents
Israel announces arrests in arson attack that killed Palestinian toddler and parents
Four months after the arson assault that killed a Palestinian toddler and his parents, Israeli police on Thursday announced the arrest of several Jewish extremists suspected of belonging to a militant organization that carried out the attack and others.
The investigation, conducted by police, justice authorities and Shin Bet, the domestic intelligence service, was looking into “concrete suspicions” related to the fatal attack, the police statement said. All other information, including details that could identify the suspects, were barred from publication by a court-issued gag order...
...It also came after months of fierce criticism that Israel was not doing enough to apprehend the perpetrators — widely assumed to be Jewish extremists — and calls that Israel apply the same swift determination and harsh measures to Jewish attackers of Palestinians as it does to Palestinian attackers of Jews.
The criticism grew after Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon revealed several weeks ago that authorities knew the killers’ identities but could not indict them without compromising intelligence sources.
Former Shin Bet officials and observers of Jewish extremists frequently comment on the difficulty Israeli intelligence services have in solving attacks carried out by the small, highly insular circles that are virtually impenetrable.
According to Yisrael Hasson, a former deputy director of the Shin Bet who now heads the Israel Antiquities Authority, officials lack tools that would be allowed if such cases were legally defined as terrorism, such as special permission for more rigid interrogation. Also, security agencies often have the intelligence but have difficulty converting it into evidence sufficient for trial.
In a media interview, Hasson said he hoped this case would lead to an indictment and trial. But he noted that the wording of the police statement was vague, suggesting there was not enough solid evidence or a significant enough breakthrough in the investigation at this point.
Reiterating that investigators must be given adequate tools to deal with Jewish extremists, Hasson said, “We cannot leave our fate in the hands of such lunatic killers that are like any other terror organization.”
Asked whether homes of Jewish attackers should be demolished, as is sometimes done with Palestinians, Hasson expressed reservations about the practice.
“I believe it is effective only in very, very specific cases,” he said. “But if authorities think it is effective, then there should be a single standard and ruler for all murderers and terror.”
The investigation, conducted by police, justice authorities and Shin Bet, the domestic intelligence service, was looking into “concrete suspicions” related to the fatal attack, the police statement said. All other information, including details that could identify the suspects, were barred from publication by a court-issued gag order...
...It also came after months of fierce criticism that Israel was not doing enough to apprehend the perpetrators — widely assumed to be Jewish extremists — and calls that Israel apply the same swift determination and harsh measures to Jewish attackers of Palestinians as it does to Palestinian attackers of Jews.
The criticism grew after Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon revealed several weeks ago that authorities knew the killers’ identities but could not indict them without compromising intelligence sources.
Former Shin Bet officials and observers of Jewish extremists frequently comment on the difficulty Israeli intelligence services have in solving attacks carried out by the small, highly insular circles that are virtually impenetrable.
According to Yisrael Hasson, a former deputy director of the Shin Bet who now heads the Israel Antiquities Authority, officials lack tools that would be allowed if such cases were legally defined as terrorism, such as special permission for more rigid interrogation. Also, security agencies often have the intelligence but have difficulty converting it into evidence sufficient for trial.
In a media interview, Hasson said he hoped this case would lead to an indictment and trial. But he noted that the wording of the police statement was vague, suggesting there was not enough solid evidence or a significant enough breakthrough in the investigation at this point.
Reiterating that investigators must be given adequate tools to deal with Jewish extremists, Hasson said, “We cannot leave our fate in the hands of such lunatic killers that are like any other terror organization.”
Asked whether homes of Jewish attackers should be demolished, as is sometimes done with Palestinians, Hasson expressed reservations about the practice.
“I believe it is effective only in very, very specific cases,” he said. “But if authorities think it is effective, then there should be a single standard and ruler for all murderers and terror.”