Prologue:
Although this tragic story began earlier, we know that on July 13, 2010, in a similar false murder accusation, Chaim Perlman was arrested by the GSS and framed for the murder of four Arabs. For 31 days the interrogators attempted to make him confess to a crime he did not commit, but despite the torment, he did not yield. Chaim and his supporters managed to embarrass the Shin Bet. I suggest that the Duma accusation was a case of revenge by the Shabak against Jewish settlers, for that humiliation.
For the Chaim Perlman saga see interview titled “GSS Won't Leave Chaim Alone”, in which his wife Keren speaks to Uzi Baruch, Arutz Sheva, August 12, 2010.
“A person may not incriminate himself.” Rava, Sanhedrin 9b and 25a
"The worst form of injustice is pretended justice." Plato
“It is better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer.” William Blackstone
The public was shocked by the announcement on August 1, 2015 that Jewish terrorists were responsible for the arson and murder of the Dawabshe family in the village of Duma. Many could not comprehend how Jews could be involved in such a hideous crime, while noting the inconsistencies and unanswered questions.
In response the Shin Bet offered a “justifiable" and "logical" reason. It was revenge for the terrorist killing of Israeli Malachy Rosenfeld Hy"d, a month earlier. The Dawabshe home was in the middle of a very hostile Arab town, it would have been impossible for a "settler" to get there without himself being attacked by the local population. Even though they had no suspects the Shin Bet, and even the Prime Minister announced that it was "Jewish terrorists" who were involved and they would be found.
The initial shock was followed by skepticism that the truth may not be as initially suggested. Suspicion was caused by the speed at which "Jewish terrorists" were libelled. Was any time given for a serious investigation? Or was this a knee-jerk reaction to the Hebrew words spray-painted on the walls of the house?
Surprisingly, another arson attack took place just 23 days later, in the very same place, Duma, involving the same Dawabshe family. By now everyone also knew that there was a long-time feud in Duma between two Dawabshe families, homes and cars were burned regularly. Any reasonable person would have noted that the two crimes must have had some connection, and that these events might cast some light on those responsible for the crime perpetrated on July 31.
Intrigued, Journalist Sara Beck undertook an independent investigation and published its results in Maariv. She discovered that neither of the two arson attacks was seriously investigated. In fact, investigations were discouraged by none other than the Shabak. Would a serious examination be embarrassing to the GSS? Why the fear and why the obsession to pin the crime on young Jews, without a shred of evidence?
Let’s be clear. The Jewish department of the Shabak should not be confused with the GSS which bravely and brilliantly deals with Israel’s enemies with a great deal of success. The lawless Jewish department breaks rules with impunity and tries to ascribe crimes and promote the libel of “settler violence” at any opportunity, in order to convince the political echelon and the media of the important work they are doing. Many have called for the closing of this division whose raison d’etre is accusing Jews of criminal behavior.
Many young and even married men were called in for interrogations and were then held in administrative detention for various lengths of time. The most high profile individual arrested was Meir Ettinger, grandson of Meir Kahane Hy”d. Ettinger’s attorney accused the Shin Bet of using his client’s arrest for PR purposes. “The difficult incidents of the past few days have led the relevant authorities to invest in an impression that they are doing something and what’s better than [to arrest] the grandson of Meir Kahane,” attorney Yuval Zemer told Channel 10 in response to the arrest.
After five months, many of the suspects had been released. The Shabak was embarrassed. After having claimed with much fanfare that they knew who had committed the crime, they had not yet found the guilty party.
One of those arrested was Netanel Furkowitz who recorded an account of his horrific interrogations. Titled “Welcome to your GSS Interrogation” it describes how he was brutally interrogated for twelve days by the GSS as if he were a terrorist.
International pressure was growing, and so without delay, the Shin Bet announced that they had found their men. In fact, one was an under aged youth who could not be legally named. The other one was Amiram Ben Uliel.
After 17 days of torture, of the type described by Netanel Furkowitz, permission was given to intensify Amiram’s pain to a level that would guarantee a confession. There is no question that severe and painful torture was inflicted on Ben Uliel on the night of December 17, 2015, from 11:45 pm to 7:00 am, at which point, Amiram realized that his situation was hopeless. The only way to stop the seemingly endless and excruciating pain was to agree with the false narrative that “Miguel”* was demanding.
Ben Uliel made his false confession and the torture ended. As soon as he was allowed to speak, he recanted. He renounced the confession and stated that it was coerced by the unrelenting pain which he could no longer withstand. Readers should be reminded that torture is illegal in the State of Israel and is also against international law.
Everything discussed so far is scandalous, but no words can adequately describe the unjustifiable acts purposely committed to achieve the ‘higher’ objective, higher than justice and truth. I am referring to the fraudulent re-enactment which tragically, the judges used as admissible “evidence”. Based on the video of the re-enactment, Ben Uliel was sentenced to three life terms for murder, seventeen years for attempted murder, and ten years for arson.
The Fraudulent Re-enactment
Just thirty-six hours after the torturous, endless night, Amiram was taken to Duma to re-enact his supposed crime. Re-enactments serve to confirm the accused person’s guilt, yet in order that they not be compromised by over eager prosecutors, strict rules must be followed during a re-enactment. It must be attended by an officer with no knowledge of the event. The accused must be allowed to lead freely, from beginning to end, and directions by the attending officer are prohibited by law. (Israel Police Department of Investigation and Intelligence, Rules of Video Recorded Re-enactment, 01/02/14).
The two officers who accompanied Ben Uliel soon after his torture, were Chief Superintendent Erez Amouyal, leader of the police investigation team, and the other one was head of the Shabak interrogation team, “Miguel”, the self admitted torturer. Both were heavily invested in the case.
Ben Uliel asked for permission, which was not granted, to leave the Jeep and to walk into the village on his own. His fellow travelers insisted he stay with them, held onto him tightly, and used a strong flashlight to show the way and make sure he sticks to the details of the confession.
Sadly, the rules for re-enactments did not apply to Amiram the ‘poster boy’, the Jew with bushy pe’ot and yarmulka.
Someone watching the video of the re-enactment would notice that Amiram is not cooperating and is hesitant when answering the questions posed by Erez Amouyal. At that point “Miguel” shows his frustration and tells Amiram to smarten up by stating “Like we said, Amiram!” then threatens him: “I have the tools and I know how to use them”. Realizing that this threat would not look good to the judges, Amouyal saves the situation by saying in a cool, collected way, “We will now turn off the camera until we arrive in Duma.”
What transpired during those minutes that were not recorded? Your guess is as good as mine.
Eighteen minutes later, yet just seconds later in the recorded video, Amiram is cooperating and repeating the narrative of the confession, as he was taught by the threatening agents.
When Amiram’s first two lawyers saw the blatant prejudice and abuse of justice, they resigned in disgust. They realized early on that his guilt was assigned, that minimum human rights were not accorded to him, and that he had no chance of being acquitted.
The Shin Bet Jewish division committed crime after crime to make sure that Amiram would remain the guilty party for whom the world was clamoring. Every witness and every proof that Ben Uliel was not the arsonist was summarily rejected. Widely acknowledged, and supported by witness statements, this arson was one of several such attacks, part of an eighteen-year-long Dawabshe family feud that was not to be investigated.
Incredibly, the judges ignored the obvious violations of the rules including confession under torture and decided that the re-enactment proved Amiram’s guilt. Were they oblivious to the missing eighteen minutes? Why did they ignore every witness and every fact which would prove Amiram’s innocence? Did the facts interfere with their overriding objective, a conviction of a Jew for the murder of Arabs?
Since the scope of this article must be limited, readers are encouraged to do further reading on their own. Martin Sherman has written about a dozen articles proving that it was impossible for Amiram Ben Uliel to have committed this crime. Based on his premise, I would like to suggest that suspicion falls on Dawabshe family members or on a GSS agent provocateur, who may have gotten carried away. The undercover agent Avishai Raviv comes to mind. He was charged with failing to prevent Rabin's assassination, but successfully defended himself, claiming that he was just doing his job, (for the GSS).
I too have written extensively about the corrupt methods, abuses of human rights and outright lies used to indict the Jew. If Amiram was guilty, why is there no evidence, and why did the GSS have to break rules and commit crimes in order to indict him?
Amiram Ben Uliel has been framed for a crime in which he had no part. He has spent the last seven and a half years in solitary confinement, treated with more cruelty than any criminal or terrorist held in the jails of the state. He is the scapegoat for an obsession to prove that the Jewish state treats Jews and Arabs equally, while effectively making Arabs “more equal” than Jews.
Where are Amiram’s Jewish brothers and sisters? If this crime had taken place in another country, Jews around the world would be up in arms about the blatant, antisemitic blood libel. It should make every citizen outraged and embarrassed by Israel’s justice system.
Please protest and pray for Amiram ben Nurit to be exonerated and returned to his wife and eight-year-old daughter. His judicial process has been exhausted. He needs a miracle.
It takes courage to speak up about injustice when others are silent out of fear. Please sign your name to the online petition “Justice for Amiram”.
Or contact: Tom Lantos, Human Rights Commission.
ttps://humanrightscommission.house.gov/contact/email-us
* Miguel “In a state of law a cruel man like him would be sitting behind bars. Every Israeli citizen should be concerned that the chief witness in such a dramatic trial continues to be employed by the GSS, as if nothing happened.” Statement by Attorney Asher Ohayon, representing Amiram Ben Uliel.
Appendix I
Israeli arrested for Burqa incident recounts interrogation
Elisha Yered, who was arrested in connection with the death of a Palestinian in the Burqa incident, tells about his interrogation.
Israel National News Aug 15, 2023, 9:59 PM (GMT+3)
Elisha Yered, who was arrested on suspicion of involvement in an incident in the village of Burka in which a Palestinian Arab was killed, spoke today (Tuesday) for the first time about his experience in the interrogation room.
"I will summarize the delusional saga that has passed over us in the last two weeks, but it seems to me that one of the investigators who tried to extract a fabricated confession from me at any cost accurately summarized in one of his absurd questions the madness that gripped the system," Yered wrote.
He added, "It happened in one of the investigations after I said that we [who were there] were one step away from being murdered in the incident and it was a matter of clear self-defense, the investigator contradicted me: 'If you knew that the incident was going to escalate and become so dangerous and you understood from your words that they came to attack and maybe even worse, why did you take a gun with you to the place? " Yes, just like that.It seems that according to the investigators of Israel's security services, if you are a Jew you must be slaughtered quietly and accept your fate. Dare to defend yourself and you will be thrown quickly into the dungeons for investigations. Police will drop everything to try and have you declared a murderer."
Appendix II: Arutz Sheva Hebrew article:Unprecedented support for Amiram Ben Uliel:
Translation: Chavanehama
'We Demand: Transfer Amiram From Solitary Confinement To The Torah Wing!"
Hundreds of rabbis, public figures, professors and MKs are calling for Amiram Ben Uliel to be transferred from solitary confinement in the Eshel prison to the Torah wing. All unanimously assert that, "Amiram's conviction is not based on evidence, but only on a confession obtained under torture."
There is unprecedented support for Amiram Ben Uliel, who was tortured by the Shabak in the Duma case. About 300 rabbis of cities and communitiess, public figures, women spiritual leaders, MKs, and professors are calling upon Prime Minister Netanyahu to transfer Ben Uliel from solitary confinement to a religious prison wing.
According to the protesters, "Amiram's conviction was not based on evidence but solely on a confession extracted under torture, which Amiram later recanted. "
The organization behind the petition is the Mateh Tzedek L'Amiram (Justice Headquarters for Amiram), whose members are currently initiating an extensive campaign to demand that Amiram transferred from solitary confinement, where he has languished for over seven years, to a Torah wing. The next step they hope, will be a new trial, vindication, and release him from prison.
Among those signing the petition were the following Knesset members: Amit Halevi, Ariel Kellner, Nissim Vaturi and Avichai Boaron from the Likud and MK Limor Son Har-Melech from Otzma Yehudit. In addition, dozens of professors and Ph.D's from all over the country signed, led by Israel Prize winner Professor Israel Auman; Bar Ilan University Rector, Professor Amnon Albeck; Professor Elisha Haas; Professor Ari Jabotefsky; Dr. Mordechai Kedar; Dr. Moshe Roth, and additional professors. The petition was also signed by public figures, heads of organizations, writers and public personalities including Herzl and Merav Hajaj, Lehi fighter Ezra Yachin, Col. Geva Rapp and other public figures.
In addition, the call was signed by about 200 rabbis, including senior religious Zionist rabbis, rabbis of cities and settlements and neighborhoods all over the country, as well as heads of many institutions. Among the rabbis who signed: Rav Dov Lior (Hevron); Rav Avigdor Nebenzahl (Old City of Jerusalem); Rav Zephaniah Drori (Kiryat Shmonah); Rav Zvi Israel Tau; Rav Yitzhak Ginzburg; Rav Shmuel Eliyahu (Rav of Tzfat), Rav Micha Halevi (Petach Tikvah), Rav Elyakim Levanon (Shomron); Rav Yosef Zvi Rimon (Gush Etzion Regional Council) and many others. Prominent women spiritual leaders and heads of seminaries and Ulpanot from all over the country also signed.
A call published over the weekend read: "Since Amiram Ben Uliel was imprisoned seven and a half years ago, he has been held in complete isolation, under the most difficult conditions of any prisoner in the State of Israel. On the past Seder night, Amiram Ben Uliel's request to celebrate the holiday in the Torah wing with fellow prisoners was approved for the first time. However, his following request to spend Shavuot in the Torah wing was rejected by the Shin Bet. We demand that Prime Minister Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu use his authority to transfer Amiram from the inhumane conditions under which he being held to the Torah wing until his hoped for release.
"In addition to being held in total isolation, Amiram is forced to communicate with his wife and daughter only through a glass partition. He is denied basic religious rights such as the right to pray in a minyan. In the face of Amiram's harsh conditions, it is outrageous to see terrorists with blood on their hands receiving preferential treatment and humane conditions. Unlike these terrorists, Amiram's conviction is not based on evidence but only on a confession that was extracted under extreme and continuous torture.
"Why are the non-Jewish prisoners allowed to fulfill their religious obligations while a Jewish prisoner, whose guilt is highly questionable (to say the least) is denied his basic human and religious rights? We demand the end to this discrimination! We demand that Amiram be immediately transferred to the Torah wing," reads the call.
The 'Justice for Amiram' headquarters issued its own statement: "In a month, the Jewish people will celebrate the Tishrei High Holy Days and Succot. We demand that Amiram be permitted to celebrate the Tishrei holidays in the religious wing of the prison with his fellow Jews, and not under severe isolation. There is no justification for his treatment, where terrorists worship and celebrate together, while Amiram languishes in solitary confinement with no evidence of any guilt other than a forced confession. This discrimination must end!!!!!!"
We will remind you that Ben Uliel is being held under extremely harsh conditions of imprisonment in the Eshel prison in the south of the country. He is held in a guarded wing, in a cell alone, without any socialization with other prisoners. He is only allowed to leave his cell about two hours a day to a closed yard by himself. His family is allowed to visit him once every two weeks for about half an hour, communicating through a glass partition. In addition, he is forbidden to go to the synagogue and participate in prayer services, and is only allowed to keep five holy books in his cell.
Recently, after seven years without a phone, Ben Uliel was finally permitted to make phone calls to family members. The decision was instituted by Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, who ruled that that the prison could not deny Ben Uliel a right that is enjoyed by Arab security prisoners and criminals. As a result, the security establishment allowed Ben Uliel to make phone calls to a number of people, including his wife and young daughter.