Tel-Chai Nation

Some news that almost got overlooked about a closed door appeal trial held for Haredi sex offender Malka Leifer at the Israeli supreme court:

Accused paedophile Malka Leifer's appeal against an order for her to stand trial for extradition to Australia has been heard behind closed doors in Israel.

A panel of three judges in Israel's Supreme Court granted the request of the former Melbourne Orthodox school principal's defence team to hold the proceedings in a closed court, expelling members of the press and permitting only advocates of the three alleged victims and Ms Leifer's family, including two siblings and her son, to be present. [...]

Judge Yitzhak Amit told the defence that the number of appeals was unprecedented even among the most high-profile murder trials. Wednesday marked the case's 70th hearing.

"Some of the things that happened with this case have never taken place in the history of the establishment of the state of Israel," he said. [...]

Due to the secrecy of the hearing, the prosecution was unable to comment on what took place inside court, but lawyer Ayelet Rivner-Oron said they were hopeful the court would deny the appeal. "We hope we will be able to proceed with her extradition to Australia," she said.

I hope so too. The judge makes a good point why this is a colossal embarrassment for Israel, as a Haredi clan clearly paying a whole treasure trove for her defense is doing everything possible to draw attention away from more pressing issues. In this article, it says:

However, Kol V’oz activist Manny Waks was allowed to remain and sent updates indicating that the justices pressed Leifer’s lawyers hard about what new argument they might have which the district court had not rejected.

For example, the justices were not likely to entertain an argument that the district court itself had altered its view of the case at different points as this was the purview of the district court up until its final decision.

Again, I hope the judges here recognize the pure treachery of the lawyers and how they're making a farce of the legal system. This case also perpetuates a bad image of insular Haredi clans.

Labels: haredi corruption, Israel, misogyny, Moonbattery