 | An Open Letter to the Israel Prison Service - brought by Naomi Ragen |
| Friends, Guess who running for election in the Palestinian Authority? A letter from Arnold Roth, whose beautiful daughter Malki was murdered in the Sbarro Pizza bombing. Marwan Barghouti, who has been sentenced in Israeli courts to 5 life terms, and who hide the murderers of Malki Roth, is a candidate. Below, a letter from Malki's father on the outrageous way Israel is allowing Barghouti to run. Naomi An open letter from Arnold Roth, Jerusalem. Chief Superintendent Ian Domnitz International Relations Branch Israel Prison Service Jerusalem Dear Mr Domnitz, I would be grateful for your help in getting to the root of a troubling matter. Marwan Barghouti, the leader of Arafat's Fatah movement in the West Bank and closely identified with what the BBC <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/middle_east/2001/israel _and_the_palestinians/profiles/1473585.stm> calls "one of its militant offshoots", the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, was arrested by the Israeli authorities in April 2002 and charged with the killing of 26 people and belonging to a terrorist organisation. On May 20, 2004, the Tel Aviv District Court convicted Barghouti of three terror attacks in which five Israelis were murdered. He was convicted of attempted murder, convicted of membership in a terror organization and convicted of conspiracy to commit a crime. On June 6, 2004, Barghouti was sentenced to five consecutive life terms and 40 years. He is therefore a convicted terrorist and a convicted murderer. It is worth adding that at the trial of Barghouti's nephew and aide Ahmed Barghouti, r <http://www.chronwatch.com/content/contentDisplay.asp?aid=11 614> evelations <http://www.chronwatch.com/content/contentDisplay.asp?aid=11 614> were made that Uncle Marwan hid the terror gang members who carried out the Sbarro restaurant massacre in Jerusalem in August 2001. Fifteen innocent civilians died there that day. Fair disclosure: one of those murdered was my 15 year-old daughter Malki <http://www.kerenmalki.org/> . (I make no pretence to being dispassionate about this particular thug.) In light of these matters, why, in your capacity as Israel Prison Service spokesperson, did you - an accomplished and fluent speaker of the English language - refer again and again in a BBC World Service radio interview yesterday (January 24, 2006) to Marwan Barghouti as "security prisoner"? My recollection is you used that expression half a dozen times or more in a single interview, speaking deliberately and fluently. No slip of the tongue seems to have been involved. It's clear enough that, for their part, Barghouti and gang want his multiple convictions for murder and terrorism to be expunged from the record, the faster the better. Claiming him as a security prisoner or a political prisoner plainly serves Barghouti's interests. The question for Israelis is whether this is (a) justified and (b) in the interests of Israelis. These are highly charged times. In the run-up to today's elections to the Palestinian Legislative Council, left-wing extremists like Joseph Beilin have called for Barghouti to be released from his Israeli jail-cell. Beilin has said <http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3174972,00.html> the murderer should be go free because he "heads one of the Palestinian camps that do want peace and so this is the moment to end his sentence". In the give-and-take of Israel's robust democracy, Beilin's position may be deeply offensive to many Israelis and thin on both logic and jurisprudence. But Beilin speaks as a political activist, which means he is perfectly at liberty to be as offensive as he chooses. But it's an entirely different matter for the official spokesperson of the Israeli Prison Service to express himself in what seems to be a partisan manner. Which brings me to my questions. Does the Prison Service agree with you that Marwan Barghouti is a 'security prisoner'? If yes, does this entitle him to privileges to which a mere murderer would have no right? If no, will you immediately issue a public statement clarifying that the final determination of Israel's criminal justice system, convicting Barghouti of the most serious crimes, will not be undermined any further by those responsible for running its jails? If the global war on terror means anything, it is essential for us to be clear about this. Barghouti is no security prisoner. He is no more than a loathsome felon. I await your response. Sincerely, Arnold Roth www.kerenmalki.org <http://www.kerenmalki.org/> Father of Malka Chana Roth Z"L ------------- The Malki <http://www.kerenmalki.org/> Foundation PO Box 23637 Jerusalem 91236 Israel To stay in touch with the work of the Malki Foundation, please join the Friends of Keren <http://groups.google.com/group/Friends-of-Keren-Malki> Malki Email List --------------------------------------------------------------------------- For more articles,please visit my Web page at: http://www.NaomiRagen.com |
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Jew_Concious: An Open Letter to the Israel Prison Service - brought by Naomi Ragen
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