Grappling with the Katsav verdict

December 30, 2010 - 4:48 PM by · 2 Comments
Filed under: A New Reality, Crime, General, Israeliness, Life, News, Social Justice 

Does today’s conviction of former president Moshe Katsav on two counts of rape as well sexual harrassment and committing indecent acts show Israel in a positive or negative light?

After all it’s not everyday that a leading public figure is found by judges to be a criminal, guilty of heinous acts. It doesn’t cast a glowing light on the state of our leaders, the neanderthal views toward women by a certain segment of Katsav’s generation of males, or our ability to suss out the bad apples in the barrel.

On the other hand, Katsav’s conviction is a testament to Israel’s vibrant democratic process, in which even the most powerful in the land are not above the law. Most reactions to Thursday’s court findings commented on this dichotomy.

While calling it “a sad day for Israel,” Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu also said that “the court today delivered two clear messages, one being that everyone is equal in the eyes of the law and the second the right of every woman to be in control of her own body,”

The state prosecutor Ronit Amiel also referred to the sadness surrounding the event but asserted that the verdict represented a “badge of honor for Israeli democracy.”

And Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch said at a swearing-in ceremony for new judges that the verdict “demonstrates the value of equality before the law.”

Speaking at the same ceremony, President Shimon Peres said: “There are not two States of israel. There is only one State of Israel. There are not two justice systems in Israel. There is only one justice system. There are not two types of citizens in Israel. There is only one type of citizen, and all are equal before the law.”

And the Katsav case is not the only example of the good, bad and ugly of Israeli society. Since 2008, courts have indicted former PM Ehud Olmert for fraud, sentenced former finance minister Avraham Hirschson to five years imprisonment for theft and money laundering, and convicted former health minister Shlomo Benizri of taking bribes.

While we Israelis feel the bile and nausea over the realization that our former president committed depraved acts in the very halls which represent the country’s independence, we can also stand tall amid the legal process that brought him to justice. It was indeed, the worst and the best of days.

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Should we allow porn in Israeli jails?

February 6, 2009 - 9:09 AM by · 2 Comments
Filed under: Crime, History and Culture, Israeliness, Pop Culture, Religion 

Hannan MeltzerAbout five years ago, Emanuel Peled made headlines when he was convicted of fraudulently billing suckers for phone sex calls they didn’t make. He stole hundreds of thousands of shekels from strangers by threatening to make public these peoples’ love of audio porn, even though in most cases, the victims probably had no such attachments.

Now residing at the Hasharon Prison, Peled is making headlines again, this time for his own proud love of video porn. According to Haaretz….

The Public Defender’s Office says the petition [to the High Court] concerns the right to freedom of expression and consumption of information. The Israel Prison Service (IPS), however, claims that eliminating the ban on pornography could disturb religious inmates and lead to more violence inside prisons.

According to the petition, the prisoner does not have a partner and is therefore not privy to conjugal visits. He argues that being able to access pornography may offer a partial solution to his distress.

Apparently, Peled is notorious for getting the court system bogged down by his various appeals. But in a country where even those who assassinate politicians are allowed to marry people whom they’ve met while serving time, pornography seems like little to ask for.

It all comes down to how we define pornography as a people, and to what extent the evidence against the presence of porn holds water:

Attorney Tal Enar of the Public Defender’s Office claims that the IPS directive banning all pornographic material is disproportionate and illogical. The IPS claim that pornography in prisons will cause violence among inmates is scientifically unfounded, he says, adding that, pornography can instead be used to alleviate tension among sex offenders.

He also pointed out that the High Court rulings on the subject were handed down 25 years ago; since then, society’s attitude toward pornography has changed, he says: Consider, for example, the High Court’s decision to allow the Playboy Channel to broadcast in Israel.

It also comes down to the community of prisoners, which apparently has a high enough “religious” contingent that a porn infiltration might cause unrest among offended offenders. But really, it’s more of a question of philosophy. Of course convicts have rights too, but they’re not exactly put in these facilities to enjoy themselves either – it’s a matter of striking the right balance. The panel ruling on Peled’s plea, which includes Supreme Court Justices Hannan Meltzer (pictured), Elyakim Rubinstein and Dorit Beinisch, is not expected to decide in his favor.

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