Public Security Minister Tzachi HaNegbi, who said recently that he is certain - though without concrete evidence - that Jews are planning to carry out an attack on the Temple Mount, has added fuel to the fire. He said two days ago that he is in favor of administrative detention as a way to prevent a major attack against the Temple Mount or the Prime Minister. HaNegbi thus joins former minister Effie Eitam in expressing support for this extreme measure.
HaNegbi stated that while he is not at liberty to elaborate, there are ominous intelligence warnings of plans among Jewish elements to target Prime Minister Sharon and/or the Temple Mount. He said that if the GSS (General Security Service/Shabak) or other agencies recommend the administrative arrest of suspects to prevent such attacks, he would be in favor. The minister said that he is a member of the right-wing community, and that an act of terrorism would hurt the efforts of that very community as well as the entire country - an echo of what Eitam said last week.
A recent victim of administrative detention, Noam Federman of Hevron, was held in prison for over eight months under extremely difficult conditions and without being informed of the nature of the charges against him. Even after being released three months ago, he is still being held under house arrest, permitted to leave his home for prayers for only an hour a day.
The night before HaNegbi made these statements, right-wing protestors gathered outside his home to protest his position. They accused him and the law-enforcement community in general of besmirching them and laying the groundwork for a wave of administrative arrests. HaNegbi met with them in a nearby park to discuss their complaints. Peace Now responded to the meeting by calling on him to "take action against right-wing extremists and not to conduct a dialogue with them."
Minister HaNegbi also said that he remains opposed to Sharon's Gaza expulsion plan, but will uphold the law as is demanded by his senior cabinet post.
HaNegbi stated that while he is not at liberty to elaborate, there are ominous intelligence warnings of plans among Jewish elements to target Prime Minister Sharon and/or the Temple Mount. He said that if the GSS (General Security Service/Shabak) or other agencies recommend the administrative arrest of suspects to prevent such attacks, he would be in favor. The minister said that he is a member of the right-wing community, and that an act of terrorism would hurt the efforts of that very community as well as the entire country - an echo of what Eitam said last week.
A recent victim of administrative detention, Noam Federman of Hevron, was held in prison for over eight months under extremely difficult conditions and without being informed of the nature of the charges against him. Even after being released three months ago, he is still being held under house arrest, permitted to leave his home for prayers for only an hour a day.
The night before HaNegbi made these statements, right-wing protestors gathered outside his home to protest his position. They accused him and the law-enforcement community in general of besmirching them and laying the groundwork for a wave of administrative arrests. HaNegbi met with them in a nearby park to discuss their complaints. Peace Now responded to the meeting by calling on him to "take action against right-wing extremists and not to conduct a dialogue with them."
Minister HaNegbi also said that he remains opposed to Sharon's Gaza expulsion plan, but will uphold the law as is demanded by his senior cabinet post.