Israel Matzav

Obama's embassy in Israel tries to pressure Israeli courts

It's been... for me personally... one of those days... which explains the lack of posts today....

The Obama administration has apparently decided that we are a banana republic whose citizenry requires their protection against our abusive court system. And that's all true.  Except that they're protecting the side that needs no protection.

Obama's embassy in Israel showed up in court on Wednesday morning to 'gently persuade' the Israeli government not to legalize four 'outposts' in Judea and Samaria. And when it was over they smugly insisted that they weren't interfering in the judicial process. Right.....

“We do not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity and oppose any efforts to legalize settlement outposts, which would undermine peace efforts and would contradict Israeli commitments and obligations,” US Embassy spokesman Geoff Anisman told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.

He added that the United States position on these points has been clear and has not changed.
Anisman spoke in the aftermath of a High Court of Justice hearing on a Peace Now petition demanding that the state enforce the law and demolish six unauthorized West Bank outposts.

The state, however, has told the court verbally and in writing that it intends to legalize four of them; Givat Assaf, Ma’aleh Rehavam, Givat Ho-Roeh and Mitzpe Lachish.

A US embassy representative was at the hearing, but refused to speak to the press.

The Legal Forum for the Land of Israel immediately condemned his presence there, charging that it was a blatant US attempt to interfere with Israel internal legal procedures.

But Anisman said US representatives often went to court proceedings and Knesset sessions as part of their routine work to monitor Israeli activity. This is similar to how US embassies in other countries operate, he said.

Really? Someone get Matthew Lee to show up at the State Department briefing today and ask whoever gives the briefing to name another country in which the United States shows up for court hearings. I will guarantee you that if there is such another country, it is not a member of the OECD and it is most certainly a third-world country. It almost certainly will not be a country that has an adversarial judicial system.

Peace Now Executive Director Yariv Oppenheimer said, however, that he did not recall seeing a US representative at past hearing on the outposts. He added that he has seen in the past European representatives observe court hearing on human rights issues.

"I believe the presence of an embassy representative was a message to the government and not to the court, that the issue of the West Bank outposts is very important to the US," Oppenheimer said.

'Do what we tell you, or else.'

What could go wrong?

Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, Judea and Samaria, outposts, Peace Now, Supreme Court

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 6:10 PM