Jewish Security Prisoners Don't Have Vacations
(IsraelNN.com) While talks continue for the release of hundreds, possibly 1,000, Palestinian terrorists from Israeli prison, Jews convicted of security crimes see no freedom on the horizon.
Israel's 60th anniversary is only 100 days away, and prisoners accused of light crimes can be expected to be pardoned for the occasion. The Jewish security prisoners, however, are not among them. Nor do they receive many of the perks given to other prisoners; they are given less yard time, and are permitted to be sent less money than others.
Most notably, the Jewish prisoners barely receive vacation time. Shlomi Dvir of Bat Ayin, father of five young children, was sentenced in 2002 to 15 years in prison for his role in a failed bombing of an Arab school. He and his two co-defendants claimed the bomb was never meant to go off, but the court ruled that this was only an oversight on their part. "The court entered the realm of 'intentions' by saying this [placing an empty battery] was done accidentally," their lawyer claimed at the time.
One Vacation in Six Years
For his crime, Dvir has been allowed prison leave only one time in the past six years - for 12 hours when his baby daughter was born. He was taken out of prison on two other occasions, chained in both legs and hands and with many guards surrounding him, for three hours each time, when his two sons were born. His request to attend his brother's wedding last year was advanced by several Knesset Members, but the Prison Service and Minister of Public Security Avi Dichter refused to allow it - at the behest of the General Security Service (Shabak).
Shlomi's co-defendant Ofer Gamliel, also of Bat Ayin and father of seven, was also sentenced to 15 years, and has been similarly deprived of vacation time. The Shabak forbids them to receive vacations, claiming that they are hiding information on other Jewish underground conspiracies.
Court Vindicates Them - but State Appeals
"What the Shabak is doing is against the law," a surprisingly upbeat Esther Dvir, Shlomi's wife, told Arutz-7. "And finally, the Tel Aviv District Court recently ruled that they must be allowed vacation time, just like the other prisoners. But the State Prosecution immediately appealed the decision." The appeal is to be heard in the Supreme Court a week and a half from now.
Meanwhile, Esther says, "though it is really hard to see the Arab terrorists being released time after time, we have decided to keep our heads up and live this experience in a positive way. He was sentenced to 15 years, and though we can hope for a pardon or a reduction in the sentence, we decided that the time will not go by any faster if we are negative or sad all the time... We have five beautiful children, and Shlomi's presence is very much felt here at home; every night he calls and says Shma Yisrael and tells a story to the children, and they fall asleep to his voice. In addition, we visit him every Monday; that is the highlight of our week."
Asked how she supports her family, Esther said, "There is a small allowance from National Insurance. But in general, we live very simply. Our main expenses are food, travel to the jail every week - and of course phone cards!"
Release Them - or at Least Give Them Rights!
The Council of Families of Jewish Security Prisoners continues to demand that "Minister Dichter and the Israeli government act to release the 25 Jewish nationalist prisoners who acted out of a security crisis." Some 450 people were murdered by Palestinian terrorists in 2002 alone, the year that Dvir and Gamliel were arrested.
"And until they are released," the Council states, "they must be afforded at least the most elementary rights such as vacations, regular visitations, permission to go to weddings and the like that are given with no disruption to the other prisoners."
The Almagor Terror Victims Association says that if Palestinian terrorists are freed - "which they should not be, then Jews should be released as well... Experience has shown that 0% of Jewish security prisoners return to terrorism when freed, compared with 80% of Arab terrorists."
Almagor has praise for the late President Ezer Weizmann for having "set a precedent ten years ago when he accepted a list of Jewish prisoners submitted by the Honenu legal-rights organization and agreed that just because they do not have supporters who kidnap soldiers for ransom purposes doesn't mean they don't deserve the same consideration Palestinian terrorists get." At the time, Weizmann reduced the prison sentences of several Jewish security prisoners.
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