Persistent monitoring by attorneys from the Legal Forum of activities of incitement to violence against residents of Judea and Samaria led to unprecedented criticism by Judge Nava Bechor against the Attorney General’s Office and its biased and selective treatment of offences committed by left and right wing activists.

Judge Bechor’s criticism was dispensed in her verdict in the trial of Ori Baram, who three-and-a-half years ago published videos against then Deputy Attorney General Shai Nitzan. Jude Bechor stated that Nitzan enforced the law selectively by automatically closing complaints submitted by attorneys from the Legal Forum against left-wing activists or Arabs who incited to harm Jews, “settlers” and IDF soldiers.

Judge Bechor stated that the evidence, which included exhibits from 2008 to 2010, “exhibits a surprising attitude of the relevant enforcement authorities towards open publications of violence that are extreme, dangerous and incite violence/terror/racism, towards soldiers, Jews, and even a minister in the Israeli government”.

Furthermore “it is clear that there is sufficient evidence in the hands of the legal defense to indicate a dogmatic attitude that is general and almost reaches the point of being automatic, in negating the existence of all substantive components of incitement crimes”. In particular Bechor expressed her shock that complaints against calls such as “death to the Jews” by Arabs, “castrate the settlers” by left-wing extremists, and “kill soldiers” shouted by an Arab woman in a protest, were dismissed and not considered incitement by Attorney Nitzan.

In light of Judge Bechor’s unequivocal statement, attorney Tomer Israel from the Legal Forum has issued a request to Judge Hila Gerstel who heads the Regulatory Body for the State Attorney office to conduct a thorough investigation into the Attorney General’s office scandalous behavior which resonates to the public and harms justice and judicial integrity.

It should be noted that the ability to oversee the Attorney General’s office and monitor its conduct is possible thanks to the actions taken by the Legal Forum and other organizations in the public arena and in the Knesset itself.

Up until now the Attorney General’s office acted without any form of supervision, and without the need to be accountable to anyone.

There is no doubt that the existence of the Regulatory Body will require the prosecution to commit to standards of substantial equality and transparency, which is essential in order to ensure sound governance equality before the law.

The Legal Forum will continue to act to amend the judicial system and ensure it acts with transparency, and to increase public confidence in the system which will operate according to the law in order to strengthen the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.