A Supreme Court petition submitted by the Almagor Terror Victims Association succeeded in delaying the return of four Jordanian terrorist prisoners whom Olmert wished to send back to Jordan - but only until this morning (Thursday).
The Supreme Court ruled last night that the government is within its rights in releasing the sentenced-to-life murderers - even though Jordan has promised to keep them jailed only for another year and a half. The Court criticized the government for not taking a stronger stand on this matter.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert informed Jordan's King Abdullah at the recent Sharm el-Sheikh summit that four terrorist prisoners found guilty of murdering two Israeli soldiers 17 years ago would be released to Jordan. The Jordanian Kingdom had long requested this, and though previous Prime Ministers refused, Olmert apparently deemed it a worthy request.
The two murdered soldiers were Pinny Levy, whose brother Micki is a former Jerusalem Police Chief now serving as Israel's Police attaché in Washington, D.C., and Yehuda Lifshitz.
Levy's mother Sarah and son Ro'i are very much against the release, as is Lifshitz's father Eli. The Prime Minister met with them, and according to the Almagor Terror Victims Assocation, tried to trick them twice.
Meir Indor, a founder of Almagor, told Arutz-7 today, "Our petition, which we submitted on Monday, shows that Olmert lied to the families of the victims in two ways."
"For one thing, when Olmert spoke to Eli Lifshitz, he told him that the Levy family did not object to the release. He based this on a conversation he had with his old friend Micki Levy in Washington, during which Levy did not strongly object to the release. But OImert neglected to mention that the victim's mother and son did not agree - and that they very much do object!"
Only 18 Months
"Secondly and even more severe," said Indor, "is the fact that Olmert told the families that Jordan has agreed that the murderers will serve their jail time in Jordan - but he did not mention that Jordan committed itself to this for only 18 months! After this period, there is no guarantee from Jordan that the murderers will not be released or pardoned. This, Olmert hid from the families."
"If we don't have a clear commitment from Jordan not to free these murderers," Indor said, "then our justice system is being taken advantage of. It is the responsibility of the state that releases the prisoners to ensure that they not be released - and this Israel is not doing."
Continuing the Battle
Indor, a former IDF Colonel who was wounded in a battle against terrorists, said he views his current struggle against their release as a continuation of the war against terrorism. "Sometimes we fight to catch them, and sometimes we have to fight to ensure that they are not released," he said.
When the petition was filed, Judge Elyakim Rubenstein said to the victims' families' representatives, "But you know that in cases of this nature, diplomatic considerations always outweigh other ones." Indor said he responded that the diplomatic advantages must be weighed against the damage caused to the families.
State Striving for Validation
"The State’s response to the Supreme Court merely compounds the crime," Indor said. "It was proven that the State acted without fulfilling all legal requirements, and is trying now to force the High Court Justices to validate these deeds. The State’s statements make it clear that it is Jordan’s intention to free the murderers as soon as possible. In fact, the State is handing murderers over to Jordan - supposedly to complete their sentences, but in the knowledge that they will soon be released."
"We expect the High Court of Justice to prevent the Government of Israel from defrauding the Israeli public," Indor told the Court. "The law awards only the President the power to grant a pardon to murderers, and we hope that the Justices will act with public and moral responsibility, and prevent the Prime Minister from mocking the public."