‘Courts must battle surging violence’
Supreme Court judge responds to recent allegations that judicial system too soft on crime, saying judicial body must impose harsher sentences
JERUSALEM - The courts must increase their modest contribution to Israeli society’s battle against the surging street and domestic violence, Deputy Supreme Court Justice Michael Heshin said on Wednesday.
“This contribution will manifest itself through harsh punishments the courts must impose on (those who commit) violent acts, which have spread like a plague,” he wrote in a ruling that rejected the appeal of Rajach Ben-Awad, who was sentenced to 16 years in prison for stabbing a man to death during an argument over a bicycle in January 2000.
Heshin’s comments came amid recent allegations made by police officials, who have claimed Israel’s judges have handed out too many light sentences in violence-related cases.
The problem is not catching the criminals, but rather sentencing them to appropriate prison terms, they said.
The ultra-Orthodox Shas party has submitted a 40-signature petition to Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin calling for the summoning of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to a special meeting on the rise in violence.
“Knesset Members deserve to hear whether the steps decided on by the government are for real,” said chairman Eli Yishai.
Anti-violence committee
The government discussed the increase in violence on Sunday and decided to set up a ministerial committee to deal with the matter.
The centrist Shinui party submitted a no-confidence motion following what it claimed was the government’s inability to protect the country’s citizens from the surge in criminal activity.
No-confidence motions, which require positive votes from more than half of the 120-member Knesset to pass, are often filed in parliament.
- Attila Somfalvi contributed to this article.
