Adalah Rejects the Baseless Accusations of Police Commander Alik Ron and Minister of Internal Security Uzi Landau

 

Today, Commander of the Northern District Police, Alik Ron, claimed that Adalah’s representation of the High Follow-up Committee for Arab Citizens in Israel and the family members of 13 Palestinian citizens killed by the Israeli police before the Or Commission bordered on distortion of the trial process. Adalah completely rejects these severe charges.

 

Adalah collected testimonies from Palestinian citizens - injured individuals and other eyewitnesses to police violence during the October 2000 demonstrations - and submitted them to the Or Commission in full accordance with Commissions of Inquiry Law (1968).  The Commission’s investigators reviewed these materials, questioned some of the witnesses, and subpoenaed witnesses with relevant information.  To date, neither the members of the Commission nor the investigators have ever questioned the professionalism of Adalah’s work. By contrast, the members of the Commission, particularly in the last week, have sharply criticized the testimonies offered by police, pointing to the multiplicity of prior inconsistent statements, the seeming coordination of testimonies, and the apparent incredulous nature of the testimonies. During the week, Commander Ron’s anger noticeably rose as the testimony and the evidence presented before the Commission repeatedly demonstrated his personal involvement and responsibility for the events of October 2000 that led to the death of 13 Palestinian citizens of Israel.

 

Adalah questions why the Minister Uzi Landau is choosing to position himself in Commander Ron’s chorus of criticism and to attack Adalah, a human rights organization, which works to strengthen the rule of law and promote democratic values in the State of Israel. In Adalah’s opinion, Minister Landau must act in a stately manner towards all citizens of Israel and work immediately to defuse negative sentiments that have spread across the Israeli police force toward the Or Commission and Adalah. Rather than strengthening the legitimacy of the Commission and helping the Commission to reveal the truth, Minister Landau has chosen to promote improperly Police Commanders Benzy Sau and Moshe Valdman, both of whom were intimately involved in the October 2000 events, as shown by evidence presented before the Or Commission, and whose promotions had been frozen by former Minister of Internal Security, Shlomo Ben Ami.

 

Adalah will continue to work on behalf of the High Follow-up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel and the Palestinian victims’ family members before the Or Commission to reveal the truth in order to prevent the same tragedies from ever happening again. The rule of law must be the primary guiding principle for the Israeli police.