[CTRL] Israel Legalizes Lynch Mobs

[William Shannon]

http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?mador=14&datee=6/19/01& id=121972 Panel passes bill allowing inciting violence against terror suspect Ha'aretz Knesset Correspondent By Gideon Alon The Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee yesterday passed the second and third reading of a bill that includes an article that decriminalizes inciting a lynch mob to against a suspected terrorist. The article is part of a bill being prepared by the committee on incitement to violence in Israel. It generally seeks more severe punishment for such incitement, setting a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment. Justice Minister Meir Sheetrit, Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein, and State Prosecutor Edna Arbel tried to dissuade the committee's MKs from passing the bill, to no avail. Sheetrit said a bill that legalizes attacking a suspected member of a terrorist organization "is a very dangerous measure that undermines democracy and basic human rights in our country. It accomodates 'field trials' ... and even a lynching or sentencing to death by a mob that suspects someone is a terrorist." Five of the MKs supporting the bill were Shaul Yahalom (National Religious Party), Nissim Zeev (Shas), Yuval Steinitz (Likud), Yosef Lapid (Shinui) and Yael Dayan (Labor). Against it were the chairman of the committee, Ophir Pines-Paz (Labor), Nehama Ronen (Center) and Anat Maor (Meretz). Sheetrit said he intends to propose removing this article when the bill is brought to the Knesset plenum for a vote in the next few days. Sheetrit, Rubinstein and Arbel did manage to change one article in the bill making it possible to charge those suspected of inciting violence. Sheetrit said the original wording of the article prevented authorities from indicting suspects of incitement - because police had to prove "with near certainty" that the incitement would have led to an act of violence. The article was changed to "with reasonable possibility.