Monday, February 8, 2010
Well, that didn't last long. Yesterday, it sounded like a good start: Israel Kicks Down the Doors and Deports ISM Activists. Today, sadly, the lawyers have gotten to it: Court frees foreign activists, raps West Bank crackdown
The Supreme Court ordered two pro-Palestinian foreign activists released on bail on Monday, saying Israeli immigration officers overstepped their bounds by detaining them in the West Bank.
The activists' lawyer described their arrest as part of a campaign by Israel to choke off weekly demonstrations by Palestinians, left-wing Israelis and foreign activists against Israel's West Bank separation barrier as peace efforts remain at a stalemate.
Israeli soldiers raided the West Bank city of Ramallah on Sunday and detained Spaniard Ariadna Jove Marti and Australian Bridgette Chappell, handing them over to immigration officers overseen by Israel's Interior Ministry for possible deportation.
Both women belong to the International Solidarity Movement, which is at the forefront of anti-barrier demonstrations.
Palestinian authorities and the women's attorney called the entire operation illegal, arguing the military had no right to raid a city within an area designated by interim peace accords as being under Palestinian civil and security jurisdiction.
But the Supreme Court ordered Marti and Chappell released on other grounds, saying immigration officers - authorized only to operate inside Israel - had taken custody of the women from the military at a prison inside the West Bank...
I have no opinion about the court or their interpretation of the law, if that's the correct decision, then change the law if you don't like it. I recall, a long time ago on a BBS far, far away, having a...ahem..."discussion"...about Rachel Corrie, and trying to explain the ISM, and how the "activists" fake their way into the country and put themselves intentionally in dangerous situations. "So," I was asked, "why don't they just deport them?" Good question! Because Israel is a nation of laws, and when people set out to intentionally stretch and break the law, in word and spirit, and they have lawyers who set out to help them, then the law will never be adequate to address all situations. Ordinarily, we call this kind of person a "crook." The MSM and NGO establishment call them "activists."
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, p.73
Let's not ignore the role of the Supreme Court in this.
The Israeli Supremes are a self-selecting cabal of left-wingers, with no constitutional checks to their actions.
In a better-working democracy - or one with a more representative/patriot Supreme Court - the case would not have been heard.