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28 Ellul 5767 - September 11, 2007 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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NEWS
Betzedek Asks Police Why Recommendations Regarding De Hartoch Not Yet Submitted

By Yechiel Sever

In a letter to Shimon Gabbai, head of the Investigations Department at Israel Police Jerusalem District, Betzedek Director Atty. Mordechai Green expresses astonishment at the way the police is conducting its investigation of Atty. Amnon De Hartoch, who admitted that he slapped MK Rabbi Yaakov Cohen in a corridor of the Knesset building two months ago.

"For some reason," writes Atty. Green, "it appears the police is in no rush to reach conclusions and submit its recommendation to the State Attorney ... In the early years of the State attempts were made to harm MKs and Israel Police acted resolutely and swiftly, completely eradicating the problem.

"... Unfortunately, although two months have gone by since this grave incident and although, as reported, Atty. De Hartoch admitted to perpetrating the act attributed to him, Israel Police has yet to draft the recommendations it is supposed to submit to the State Attorney. Indeed there are investigations which require gathering large amounts of material from various concealed sources, meaning Israel Police needs time to formulate a position, yet it would appear that the type of investigation in question, wherein everything was clear and known from the outset, should not take such a long time, which is liable to seriously undermine the public's trust.

"It goes without saying that the damage to the public involved in delaying the recommendations is great, for in the meantime Atty. De Hartoch has received another public post, and the legal authorities may eventually find that the act attributed to De Hartoch is a legal disgrace, in which case the need would arise to dismiss him from the new post as well. As a side note, Israel Police's delay in providing a decision joins the fact that Atty. De Hartoch was only detained by the police and not arrested at all, which would not have happened had most people (the standard "Mr. Bozgalo") slapped somebody, certainly an MK.

"In light of the above," Atty. Green writes in conclusion, "you are hereby asked to complete the investigation of the case and to submit Israel Police's recommendations to the State Attorney as soon as possible in order to allow the case to proceed."

 

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