Rabbi Elyakim Levanon, Rabbi of Samaria and Head of the Elon Moreh Yeshiva, Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, President of the Ateret Cohanim Yeshiva, and Rabbi Ohad Krakover, Rabbi of the community of Kokhav HaShachar and Head of the Yeshiva, published a joint statement this morning (Friday) calling for a change in the enforcement policy towards Jewish detainees in Judea and Samaria.
The rabbis addressed the case in which three Jewish teenagers, arrested during the past week, were denied the basic right to meet with a lawyer.
According to them, this is an extreme and unusual move that is unprecedented for other populations in Israel: "In a democratic state, denying a meeting with a lawyer is an extreme step reserved for exceptional cases. Even those accused of murder are granted a meeting with a lawyer in Israel," they wrote.
They also added that, in many cases, these are aggressive interrogations, at the end of which no charges are even filed: "In most cases, the detainees are released without an indictment after a traumatic experience for no fault of their own."
According to the rabbis, this approach, which is systematically applied only to Jewish teenagers, must be put to an end: "The law must be enforced, but justice must also be pursued with justice. One cannot use draconian measures against Jewish teenagers, which are not applied to any other population in Israel."
In conclusion, the three rabbis addressed the incoming head of the Shin Bet, David Zini, and called on him to act to correct the situation: "We call on the incoming head of the Shin Bet, David Zini, to restore sanity and fairness to law enforcement and to stop denying basic rights to Jewish detainees."