Update Part I - Noam Federman

(My apologies for not getting the promised in depth articles published this week in the blog. They are still forthcoming)

There have been two recent developments in the ongoing crises in Hebron and Kiyrat Arba. One outstanding, the other, mixed with blatant hatred.
To the good news and a good judge first:

The Federmans

Noam Federman, who, along with his wife and 9 sleeping children, were torn out of their home, without warning, in the middle of the night by 100 yassam police, plus hundreds of other police units. (See earlier blogs Oct.26,29 & Nov.2, 4). Noam, his wife Elisheva, and some of the children were beaten by these thugs, and moments later their home and the home of Sinai & Rivka Tor were demolished.

Earlier picture of Noam Federman

Noam and Elisheva have been arrested several times since then and most recently the police have tried to exile Noam from his home and from all of Judea. In the 2nd court hearing this Wednesday, Judge Moshe Drori issued a remarkable ruling in favor of Federman. In addition to the ruling, Judge Drori had a very strong rebuke for the police regarding the manner in which the police have treated the Federmans - not only in their attempt to ban Noam from his home, but regarding the brutal treatment of the Federman's in the first place.

Among his comments were the following: "....the request to distance Federman is disproportionate, unconstitutional, and does not take into account the fact that the man and his family do not have any other place to live."

And about the original operation by the State:
"It's not clear to me why such an operation was necessary, in which 100 officers took part to evict a man from a closed zone, with absolutely no advance notice, with not even a single attempt at dialogue, and without any effort to check his claims."

He went even further and stated that regarding the charges that Noam attacked a policeman during the midnight raid (even though Noam was hand and leg cuffed and the only one emerging with bruises)," Let every person decide for himself how he would act if a police officer turns to him at 1:30 in the night and wants to give him papers ordering him out of his house, with his wife and nine young children sleeping in their beds, and their father sees himself responsible for their welfare and safety…

Please read the entire article about Judge Drori's decision

KOL HAKAVOD to Judge Drori. As Noam indicated later, this will end up in the Supreme Court which has a strong dislike for the national camp, and is more political than judicial....however, we should be encouraged that there are still a few good men. There have occasionally been decisions - at both the district level and even one at the supreme court level, that have ruled in favor of citizens who have had injustices done to them by the State. The State, however, has a propensity to ignore the decisions by the courts and do whatever it wants.

Predictably, DM Ehud Barak was outraged that he couldn't have his way and has immediately ordered an appeal. At least one MK suggests that he fund the appeal from his Labor party funds and not the State's coffers as he seems to be doing it for a show before the upcoming elections.

One has to ask the question, however - "who in their right mind would vote for a man who orders hundreds of yassamniks to descend on a family in the middle of the night, breaking through the doors and windows and terrifying young children sleeping in their beds...beating the children and parents and then demolishing their home...all without any warning?"