US-born Naz Tytell  says  despite his  confession,  murder convictions didn’t take into account his mental state

Times of Israel

Jack Tytell, an American-born Israeli Jew who faces life in jail for the murder of Palestinians, appealed his conviction to the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

In his petition, Tytell said that in handing down his sentence the Jerusalem District Court had ignored evidence of his mental state, which affected his responsibility for his actions.

During a hearing earlier this year, the court rejected Tytell’s claim he was insane at the time of the murders, finding him accountable for his crimes, which he had confessed to committing.

Tytell was convicted in January of murdering two Palestinians and wounding two Israelis. He was sentenced in April to two consecutive life sentences plus 30 years’ jail time and was ordered to pay NIS 680,000 ($190,000) compensation to the victims’ families.

In April Tytell, in court to hear his sentence, expressed no regret and said he was “proud” of his actions.

Arrested in 2009, he admitted to carrying out at least seven terror attacks that killed two Palestinians and injured three over the course of 12 years. The 40-year-old Florida native also attacked Jews he suspected of missionary activity.

During his sentencing hearing in January, Israel’s state prosecution asked that the man dubbed the “Jewish terrorist” be locked up “until the end of his days” and said he ”trampled, in his actions, every possible value human society is founded upon.”

Tytell’s acts of incitement and calls to replace the State of Israel with a totalitarian Jewish monarchy, along with his encouragement of violence against those who didn’t share his views, were acts that “undermine the foundations of a democratic society,” prosecuting attorney Sagi Ofir said.

Racist Zionist confessed to racist aggravated assault of  Arabs, causing severe injury to one of them in August 2012 attack in Jerusalem; further plea bargains expected

ynet 

One of the teenagers involved in the August 2012 attack in Jerusalem’s Zion Square confessed in the course of a plea bargain to aggravated assault of Arab youngsters out of a racist motive.

During the incident, Jamal Julani, an Arab youth, was severely injured when a group of Jewish youngsters assaulted him and other young Arabs in two central Jerusalem locations.

On Sunday The Jerusalem District Court accepted the plea bargain signed with the minor, who also confessed to causing severe injury to Julani.

Following the attack, indictments have been filed against eight suspects on charges of inciting to violence and racially-motivated aggravated assault.

Another indictment has been filed against a teenage girl who allegedly incited the group to violence.

The indictments deal with two incidents which occurred on the same night, the first of which was the assault of a number of unidentified Arabs in Hahatulot Square, the second being the Zion Square attack.

According to the new plea bargain, the inciting to racist violence charge was removed from the minor’s indictment.

This is the sixth plea bargain signed with those involved in the affair, and further plea bargains are currently in process.

The first and the most lenient plea bargains, exposed by Ynet, changed the charges against two suspects from assault to incitement.

In the course of the other plea bargains, two other suspects confessed to aiding the aggravated assault and a third confessed to causing severe injury to Julani.

An additional plea bargain is expected to be signed soon with the teenage girl involved in the affair, who is charged with cursing Arabs and hitting Julani on the back of the neck. As part of the plea bargain, the girl will be charged with incitement to violence, aggravated assault and causing severe injury.

Times of Israel

A terrorist accused of planting a bomb on a bus in Tel Aviv during last year’s Operation Pillar of Defense now claims that his confession was extracted under duress.

Muhammad Mafarji,18, confessed to the Shin Bet security service that he placed an explosive device on bus No. 142 on November 21. The bomb detonated near the Israeli military’s headquarters in the center of Tel Aviv, injuring 28 people.

Mafarji’s lawyer claimed that he was tortured prior to his confession, and that his interrogators deprived him of sleep and uttered threats of violence against him, Israel Radio reported Monday.

According to Mafarji’s indictment on multiple counts of attempted murder and aiding an enemy during wartime, he planted the bomb on behalf of Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip, in order to help the group in its conflict with Israel.

Mafarji, a West Bank Palestinian naturalized through a family reunification procedure some 15 years ago, has Israeli citizenship and can therefore be tried in Israeli civil courts.

The three other members of his terror cell, all from the West Bank, were arrested in connection with the attack, including mastermind Ahmad Ahmed Moussa.

Mafarji told investigators that he met Moussa at Moussa’s supermarket in Beit Lakia in the Binyamin region. While out shopping Mafarji declared that he wanted to fight alongside Hamas in Gaza, and Moussa told him to come back later so that they could discuss the matter further.

When Mafarji returned, the two allegedly began to plot an attack. Moussa first told Mafarji to leave a bag on a bus as a test run, which he successfully completed.

The night before the actual attack the two discussed siding with Gaza, halting the IDF attacks on the coastal enclave, and avenging the death of Hamas military commander Ahmed Jabari, who was killed in a drone strike that marked the onset of the Israeli campaign to curb rocket fire from Gaza. Moussa also allegedly questioned Mafarji about Israeli officials that he knew and promised to provide him with a gun so that he could kill Israelis.

Moussa prepared a bomb that could be detonated by cellphone and hid it in a bag of clothes. He then took Mafarji to the checkpoint at Harbata, where the teenager crossed from the West Bank into Israel to meet with the manager of the McDonald’s where he worked. As the two drove to work, Mafarji was said to have faked a phone call in which he claimed to learn that his mother was ill and that he needed to go back to her. After alighting from the vehicle with the bomb he took a bus to Tel Aviv.

Once inside the city he boarded a No. 142 bus and armed the bomb. When the bus reached the planned detonation point, Mafarji got off, leaving the device under the third seat. He quickly called Moussa to tell him the bomb was in place, whereupon the latter detonated the device via his cellphone.

After the explosion, Mafarji took a train back to Modi’in and calmly reported for work. He was arrested four and half hours after the attack.

Mafarji also told his interrogators that he intended to kill.

Security camera footage from the Savidor train station in Tel Aviv showed Mafarji after the attack walking calmly onto the train on his way to work at McDonald’s at the mall in Modi’in.

His lawyer claimed in January that Mafarji was an innocent teen who was manipulated.

** ed note–morons, idiots, one and all. There is only  ONE  entity  that  benefits from something like this, and it is Israel and her supporters around the world who thrive offof conflict amongst others which they set in motion.

The sad thing is that there will be a LARGE  number of  those within what we might call ‘white  nationalist’  circles who will see this as a great idea, too stupid to see that they are being played for fools by organized Jewish interests.

alyunaniya.com

In a letter sent via post to the Muslim Association of Greece yesterday, extremist-right party Golden Dawn threatened Muslims in Greece with bloodshed giving them a month time to evacuate the country.

According to the hard copy of the letter obtained by Alyunaniya.com, Golden Dawn gives Muslims of Greece until June 30 to evacuate the country or else they will start ‘butchering Muslims like chickens’. The threat appears authentic as the logo of the party was printed on the letter.

The Muslim Association of Greece in a statement condemned the letter stating that Muslims are ready to defend their faith.

“Every Muslim is any time ready and fearless to defend his faith, not caring for his life. Human dignity is challenged along with the sense of mutual respect and coexistence,” the Muslim Association said.

The Association called on the state to take action and ensure that all citizens of the country share equal rights under law.

Golden Dawn, whose logo is reminiscent of a swastika, gathered enough votes to win almost 20 seats in the Greek parliament. Members of Golden Dawn have been accused of carrying out acts of violence and hate crimes against immigrants.

In a related development, the Greek Ministry of Education announced last week that it will allocate the sum of EUR 946,000 to the Ministry of Growth to fund the construction of the controversial mosque in Athens.

The Greek government has stalled for over a decade the building of an official mosque leaving its 700,000 Muslims to pray in more than 120 basements and garages in Athens.

The mosque will have no minaret, in order to adopt to the surrounding environment and it will be built in the Athens neighborhood of Votanikos.

Earlier, Athens Mayor George Kaminis, a supporter of the controversial mosque that some critics such as the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party are trying to block has said that the pending opening of the first official mosque in Greece, being built in Athens by the government, will pave the way for more, as many as two or more in each district of the city.

Religious freedom report from State Department cites concern about leaders of Venezuela,Iran, and Egypt condoning anti-Semitism, verging on ‘desecration and violence’

Times of Israel

The State Department appointed a special envoy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism around the world Monday as a new report documents a global increase in incidents of anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial.

Ira Forman, former CEO of the National Jewish Democratic Council, was named special envoy as the State Department released its annual report on religious freedom around the world. Forman replaces Michael Kozak, who had served in an acting role after Hannah Rosenthal stepped down last year.

The 2012 report on religious freedom said expressions of anti-Semitism by government officials, religious leaders were of great concern, particularly in Venezuela, Egypt and Iran. At times, such statements led to desecration and violence, the report said.

“When political leaders condoned anti-Semitism, it set the tone for its persistence and growth in countries around the world,” the report said.

In Venezuela, government-controlled media published numerous anti-Semitic statements, particularly in regard to opposition presidential candidate Henrique Capriles, a Catholic with Jewish ancestors, the report said.

In Egypt, anti-Semitic sentiment in the media was widespread and sometimes included Holocaust denial or glorification, the report said. The report cited an Oct. 19 incident in which Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi said “Amen” after a religious leader stated, “Oh Allah, destroy the Jews and their supporters.”

The Iranian government regularly vilified Judaism, and vandals in Ukraine desecrated several Holocaust memorials, the report said. Vandals in Russia painted a swastika on a fence at a St. Petersburg synagogue and on a synagogue wall in Irkutsk.

“Even well into the 21st century, traditional forms of anti-Semitism, such as conspiracy theories, use of the discredited myth of “blood libel” and cartoons demonizing Jews continued to flourish,” the report said.

Secretary of State John Kerry called the report a “clear-eyed, objective look at the state of religious freedom around the world,” and said that in some cases, the report “does directly call out some of our close friends, as well as some countries with whom we seek stronger ties.”

Kerry called the report an attempt to make progress around the world, “even though we know that it may cause some discomfort.”

When countries undermine or attack religious freedom, “they not only unjustly threaten those whom they target, they also threaten their countries’ own stability,” Kerry said at a news conference, calling religious freedom a basic human right. Kerry urged countries identified in the report to take action to safeguard religious freedoms.

Besides anti-Semitism, the report also notes frequent government restrictions on religion and policies that make it hard for citizens to choose or practice their faith.

“Governments that repress freedom of religion and freedom of expression typically create a climate of intolerance and impunity that emboldens those who foment hatred and violence within society,” the report said, singling out China, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Cuba, among other countries, for criticism.

The report also cites the use of blasphemy laws to harass, detain and abuse government critics, especially in the Middle East and North Africa. In Saudi Arabia, the report cited incidents in which activists were arrested and charged with apostasy and blasphemy, offenses that carry potential death penalties.

Kerry, who took office earlier this year after incidents highlighted in the report took place, thanked a “broad spectrum” of faith leaders, religious organizations and journalists who participated in the report, many at great personal risk.

“Governments around the globe continue to detain, imprison, torture and even kill people for their religious beliefs,” Kerry said. “In too many places, governments are also failing to protect minorities from social discrimination and violence” against religious groups including Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, Christians, Muslims and Sikhs.

Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, said the appointment of Forman as anti-Semitism envoy showed that U.S. resolve to fight anti-Semitism is serious and ongoing. The ADL is confident Forman “will play an important role in ensuring that the significant political will and diplomatic resources of the U.S. are brought to bear to urge foreign governments to take action” against anti-Semitism, Foxman said.

Kawther Salam 

Defence for Children International Palestine - The boys live in fear with their attacker still on the loose.

Defence for Children International Palestine is deeply disturbed by the sexual abuse of two Palestinian children by an armed Israeli assailant dressed in a police uniform late April in the Jordan Valley.

The perpetrator, driving a white car with yellow Israeli license plates, approached the two boys, both 14, while they grazed their goats in a field, north of the West Bank city of Jericho, according to their sworn testimonies. With his firearm visible, they said, he ordered them to strip from the waist down and sexually assaulted them one at a time. The boys described the assailant as average height and build, black hair, in his 30s, with a mole on his left cheek. Their grandfather said the Palestinian Liaison Office submitted a complaint to the Israeli Police Internal Investigations Department.

“It’s been three weeks since these kids were sexually assaulted, and they live in fear with their attacker still on the loose,” said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, Accountability Program director at DCI-Palestine. “We urge Israeli authorities to carry out a swift investigation and apprehend the suspect before he attacks again.”

Israeli investigators met with the children and obtained their statements. The boys said they can identify their attacker in a lineup. They spotted him again a few days after he assaulted them in the same area, driving toward them with two other passengers. They immediately left their herd of goats unattended and hid until he drove away.

This is the first case DCI-Palestine has documented in which Palestinian children were sexually assaulted by an Israeli perpetrator in police uniform outside of arrest and interrogation. Since 2009, there have been at least 20 cases of children alleging sexual abuse and threats by Israeli interrogators.

In February, DCI-Palestine submitted a complaint to the Israeli Police Internal Investigations Department to investigate allegations of ill treatment during the separate interrogations of two Palestinian teenage boys at Ariel police station, including verbal abuse of a sexual nature against one of them. Those responsible have yet to be held accountable or brought to justice.

One of the victims accessing the water tank used for their goats in the area of the assault

On Tuesday morning, Israeli authorities destroyed two Palestinian homes in the Khellat al-Ein neighbourhood to the east of the old city of Jerusalem claiming they had been built without permission.

Witnesses said that large numbers of Israeli forces accompanied by two bulldozers approached the area at 6am and besieged the two houses.

According to witnesses, the Israeli forces got out of their vehicles, broke into the houses, evacuated them and then destroyed them.

Describing the cruelty of the Israelis, a female resident of one of the houses told the Palestinian news agency Safa: “While we were sleeping, they [Israeli occupation forces] broke into our house and asked us to leave immediately.”

“They did not did not give enough time for us to evacuate my grandmother and we were not allowed to take any of our property,” she added.

The owners of the two houses, who are staying in a makeshift tent, said that their houses were built twelve years ago. A destruction order was issued three years ago, but the strangest aspect of the whole matter is that they have been paying construction tax for the past six years.

The mother, Um Mahmoud, said that they were obliged to pay much money for illegal construction. The last sum they paid was NIS50.000 (£9.000). “None of this was considered,” she told Safa.

NOVANEWS