Comments on: What happened to the refugees while the state lied and the court dithered

By: Aharon Eviatar

Aharon Eviatar — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 13:17:30 +0000

One difference null-Natanyahu is not a dictator, he was elected fair and square and the public loves him. This just makes it much worse.

By: Amira

Amira — Sat, 22 Sep 2012 12:59:29 +0000

My question to the editor of this report: what kind of “gunmen” on the Egyptian side conducted this dialog with some refugees? are they soldiers or just armed Bedouins? thanks

By: Greg Pollock

Greg Pollock — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 07:03:24 +0000

I read the piece, Joel, and will try replying. First, the supposition that the IDF will turn refugees away on Egyptian soil is confirmed. This is legal I guess, as such have neither entered Israeli territory nor arrived at a port of plea. I have no doubt the caught are often gaurded all night and given food, the former out of compassion, the latter to insure they do not try to enter again. The interviewed soldier has no factual basis, however, to counter Yossi’s reporting, and I have found him reliable for some time; the soldier was not there, nor cites any source there.

I now understand the State’s reasoning to the Court. If these 21 were admitted, more would come, perhaps including terrorists, which would endanger the IDF patrolling in Egypt. The Court allows soldier risk to trump justice, projecting a future. Justice is, however, in the now; it is risk itself. The rule of law is abandoned (treaty violated in this case) to prevent risk. I understand this. But justice is risk, now trumping fear. I guess the Court is not ready for that–and thereby there is something to mourn.

By: Joel

Joel — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 15:52:44 +0000

IDF reservist, serving on Sinai border disputes the claims in Yossi’s article.

http://www.jpost.com/Features/InThespotlight/Article.aspx?id=285241

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By: Antony Goddard (@d4maths)

Antony Goddard (@d4maths) — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 13:14:40 +0000

In a time of turmoil in the Arab World the Israeli leaders should be trying to take advantage of the situation. Personally I think that past injustices including the heavy attack on Gaza (Cast Lead) have created a ‘Culture of Impunity’ which has strengthened the likes of Hezbollah and the Bashir Assad’s Syrian Ba’athist party.
‘Pure Arab State’ has been terrible for minorities such as Jews, Kurds, Turks etc. ‘Pure Israeli state’ is just a means of going to hell.

By: Greg Pollock

Greg Pollock — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 19:49:19 +0000

For a while now I have viewed the Israeli “unwritten constitution” as a war council. In such a council all sitting are necessary against the greater enemy, so each member has a kind of veto when actions are seen as too invasive of its turf. The “courtesy” of asking the State if it will obey an injuction against itself (bizarre!) suuports my surmise. Here, the State employed its veto. Justice becomes a compromise subject to veto, much as in the P5 of the UN Security Council.

The Justices allowed the State to remove the subject of petition from its cognisance. This violets the core power of the Court–the writ of Habeas Corpus, which pulls subjects into its jurisdiction. A closed “security hearing” absent defense attorneys is just a War Council session. That the Court agreed to hear the peition at all means they accepted custodial care for the petitioners, yet the Court agreed to allow these to starve yet two more days in the desert. Your rule of law is gone. These 21 were innocent of any direct danger to the State; the Court played its part in your unwritten War Council constitution rather than being the last defense of simple justice.

By: Philo

Philo — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 19:24:21 +0000

Has this been raised with the UNHCR? This is a blatant violation of agreements Israel is a party to. My stomach churns every time I think about this. I really don’t know how to internalize what has become of this country. In a few years it has truly become vile.

By: Brian Smith

Brian Smith — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 17:10:40 +0000

I would love to comment on these actions, but they would probably be removed very quickly as the facts of the story are obscene. It’s the sort of thing we expect of some despotic dictator who cares not what the international community thinks as long as he gets hs way and can continue living his privileged lifestyle …. Oh, hold on a minute, that does rather decribe Netanyahu, doesn’t it?