Police arrest gay parade attacker Yishai Shlissel
Police arrest gay parade attacker Yishai ShlisselFlash 90

The Jerusalem Magistrate's Court has sent the perpetrator of last week's Gay Pride parade stabbing in Jerusalem for psychological observation on Wednesday, after noting that he refused to cooperate with the court. 

Yishai Shlissel arrived to his hearing Wednesday repeating earlier claims that he does not recognize the court's authority, and that he will not be represented by any lawyer.

Despite this, a representative of the Public Defense attempted to get Shlissel to change his mind about legal representation.

"Before the hearing I spoke with the defendant and asked him if he was interested in representation, and he informed me that he is not interested and does not want to cooperate," the public defender revealed to the court. "We have no cooperation, and therefore we cannot relate to the application to represent the defendant's case today."

Shlissel repeated the same remarks he made during his arrest.

"You do not have jurisdiction, it is not by the laws of the holy Torah," he claimed, echoing earlier remarks that he "does not recognize Israel" because it is too secular for his taste. "I am not interested in participating in thse legal games, not by myself, not via representation."

"Do you want to respond to a request to send you for observation?," he was asked. 

"I repeat my answer: I am not prepared to be represented here," Shlissel responded.

Following the hearing, justice Anat Singer ruled to send Shlissel for observation in accordance with Article 18 of the treatment of mental patients.

The law does not indicate that a defendant must be suspicious of representation to qualify, but Singer expressed doubts regardless about Shlissel's ability to stand trial.

"In these circumstances, there is room for the appointment of the Public Defender," she said. "However, in the current circumstances, it will be enough for a representative of the public defense tp be present in the courtroom during the hearing; when the defendant wishes to answer a question himself or answer a question, he may do so."

Singer also ordered a full psychiatric observation for Shlissel to determine whether he was sane during the stabbing. This is the second stabbing attack Shlissel has committed during the Jerusalem Gay Pride parade; he was recently released from prison after serving 10 years for his previous attack in 2005.

Shlissel will be tested within the next 48 hours; the results will be submitted to the court within the next week.