Thursday, November 10, 2011

Katzav on Israel's High Court

YNETNews: From the Presidential Residence to a jail cell: The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that former President Moshe Katsav's rape conviction and sever-year prison sentence stand, rendering Katsav the first president in Israel's history to be sent to jail.

The Honorable Edna Arble, Miriam Naor and Salim Joubran ruled unanimously against the appeal. The three are considered strict judges, who often favor severe sentences, especially for sex offenders.

The court has allowed Katsav one moth to put his affairs in order. He will begin serving his sentence on December 7.

Katsav arrived in court accompanied by his children and several other family members. His wife Gila stayed in the couple's Kiryat Malachi home. He reportedly "remained stoic" throughout the ruling's reading, but seemed distraught once the sentenced was reaffirmed.

Said Moshe Katzav:
"After a year of difficult struggles and penetrating discussions, the hour has come. You are obligated to respect the decisions of the institutions of the state: the Knesset and the government. It is a decision that has been examined even in the High Court of Justice, and once it has been decided, 'the law of the land is the law.' The Knesset is the symbol of sovereignty and it expresses the will of the people. 'The voice of the masses is like the voice of the Mighty One,' the voice of the Knesset is like the voice of the masses."
Oh, Katzav said that just prior to the "Disengagement" on August 10, 2005 (Erev Tish'a B'Av) in an address to the nation, informing the Jewish residents of Gush Katif and Samaria why they could have no criticism towards the state for demanding their expulsion. (link)

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4 comments:

Shaul B said...

Nice irony. (BTW, not "after the Disengagement Law passed", judging by the date, but rather, "just before it was carried out".)

Truthfully, I am not convinced of his guilt in the rape case. I have zero faith in the Israeli judicial system, and they could just as easily have convicted him because he was a traditional Sefardi who refused to call Conservative rabbis "HaRav". I don't deny that he could be guilty, either; I just don't know, and the verdict against him does not affect my opinion.

But even if he is not guilty, he deserves punishment for his complicity in the Disengagement. And this statement of his that you quoted makes for a very neat midda k'neged midda. May it be a kappara for him.

Jameel @ The Muqata said...

Thanks Shaul. Post has been updated.

יש דין ויש דיין

Anonymous said...

Is there anyway we can have him extradited to the US ? He's old but I think he would make a great cell mate with Jerry Sandusky at the state 'Pen', in Pennsylvania ?

ADDeRabbi said...

"Penetrating discussions" eh?

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