"The only thing that made any difference was the public pressure," the father of one of the girls, Moshe Belogorodsky, told Arutz-7.
The girls, Belogorodsky's daughter Chaya, 14, Moriah Goldberg, 13, and Peninah Ashkenazi, 16, were released from prison Sunday after agreeing to conditions limiting their movement.
"I was contacted by the Young Israel of America, the Rabbinic Council of America, people who are friends with US president George W. Bush, a group of Israeli criminologists, who released a statement on the girls' behalf, and several world-renowned psychologists, who submitted letters about the detrimental effects of jailing minors," said Belogorodsky. "And that's not all. Somebody made an inquiry to the Canadian Agency for Children's Rights, who said that in no democratic country in the world were minors being arrested for political protest. The good-hearted people who did all these things sent each letter and document to Israel's president and the Israeli supreme court as well. Many people took the initiative and wrote to the Israeli embassy in America as well."
Belogorodsky said that all the protests forced the courts to reconsider their position. "They decided to try to make a deal," he said.
The agreement that was reached allowed the girls to go together to one of their grandparents homes for one week, after which they are to be placed under house-arrest in their homes for ten days (the beginning of the implementation of the Disengagement Plan). After that, they will appear in court, and they are to then be free to go wherever they please.
Belogorodsky said that although the prosecution was eager to see the girls released, the negotiations were limited by supreme court justice Ayala Procaccia's original ruling that the girls' parents could not be trusted to keep them away from anti-expulsion activities. "They backed up as much as they could without countering her," said Belogorodsky. "We did not want to accept the deal at first - we felt the girls had already suffered enough and it was not right for us to agree to an exile, even though it was just for a couple days. But after speaking to the lawyers, and amongst ourselves, we concluded that it was critical to get them out of jail as soon as possible."
The release of the girls, the parents say, is not the end of the struggle. "We are going to demand an investigative committee to see why the justice system decided to put its full weight on our kids when it doesn't do the same for violent criminals," Belogorodsky said. "We have approached Knesset members Rabbi Benny Elon (National Union) and Gila Finkelstein (NRP) to urge them to draft legislation that will prevent the courts from using criminal law to prosecute political opponents in the future."
"The practice of treating demonstrators like criminals is outrageous," said Belogorodsky. "If Procaccia's decision remains in place, it will allow anybody who opposes the government to be put away. It is already being used against other minors."
Belogorodsky, as a father, is extremely relieved to see his daughter out of prison and said that he wanted to convey his thanks to everybody, the world over, who took the time to struggle on her behalf. "After hearing about her release on the radio, some people drove spontaneously to the court house. When the girls were released, we had a spontaneous party. All day long people were calling to deliver cakes and food. If you could thank all them for me, I would appreciate it."
The girls, Belogorodsky's daughter Chaya, 14, Moriah Goldberg, 13, and Peninah Ashkenazi, 16, were released from prison Sunday after agreeing to conditions limiting their movement.
"I was contacted by the Young Israel of America, the Rabbinic Council of America, people who are friends with US president George W. Bush, a group of Israeli criminologists, who released a statement on the girls' behalf, and several world-renowned psychologists, who submitted letters about the detrimental effects of jailing minors," said Belogorodsky. "And that's not all. Somebody made an inquiry to the Canadian Agency for Children's Rights, who said that in no democratic country in the world were minors being arrested for political protest. The good-hearted people who did all these things sent each letter and document to Israel's president and the Israeli supreme court as well. Many people took the initiative and wrote to the Israeli embassy in America as well."
Belogorodsky said that all the protests forced the courts to reconsider their position. "They decided to try to make a deal," he said.
The agreement that was reached allowed the girls to go together to one of their grandparents homes for one week, after which they are to be placed under house-arrest in their homes for ten days (the beginning of the implementation of the Disengagement Plan). After that, they will appear in court, and they are to then be free to go wherever they please.
Belogorodsky said that although the prosecution was eager to see the girls released, the negotiations were limited by supreme court justice Ayala Procaccia's original ruling that the girls' parents could not be trusted to keep them away from anti-expulsion activities. "They backed up as much as they could without countering her," said Belogorodsky. "We did not want to accept the deal at first - we felt the girls had already suffered enough and it was not right for us to agree to an exile, even though it was just for a couple days. But after speaking to the lawyers, and amongst ourselves, we concluded that it was critical to get them out of jail as soon as possible."
The release of the girls, the parents say, is not the end of the struggle. "We are going to demand an investigative committee to see why the justice system decided to put its full weight on our kids when it doesn't do the same for violent criminals," Belogorodsky said. "We have approached Knesset members Rabbi Benny Elon (National Union) and Gila Finkelstein (NRP) to urge them to draft legislation that will prevent the courts from using criminal law to prosecute political opponents in the future."
"The practice of treating demonstrators like criminals is outrageous," said Belogorodsky. "If Procaccia's decision remains in place, it will allow anybody who opposes the government to be put away. It is already being used against other minors."
Belogorodsky, as a father, is extremely relieved to see his daughter out of prison and said that he wanted to convey his thanks to everybody, the world over, who took the time to struggle on her behalf. "After hearing about her release on the radio, some people drove spontaneously to the court house. When the girls were released, we had a spontaneous party. All day long people were calling to deliver cakes and food. If you could thank all them for me, I would appreciate it."