Danino: Even-handed law enforcement is vital

Commanding officer of the National Serious and International Crimes Unit, Brigadier General Haim Ifergan, called Rabbi Yaakov Yosef Tuesday night and asked if investigators could come to his home and question him over the "Torat Hamelech" affair. The rabbi refused and is likely to be arrested like his close associate, Rabbi Dov Lior.

Rabbi Yaakov Yosef is the son of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef - Talmudic scholar and spiritual leader of the Shas political party. Rabbi Dov Lior serves as the Chief Rabbi of Hebron and Kiryat Arba in the southern West Bank and is also the head of the Council of Rabbis of Judea and Samaria. Both rabbis have been the subject of a police investigation regarding their endorsement of the controversial book "Torat Hamelech," which allegedly promotes violence and racism.

Yaakov's arrest was initially planned for Wednesday, but police opted not to act before exhasuting all other venues for questioning and thus avoid a highly publicized arrest.

Police Commissioner Danino backed up his subordinates. "Even-handed enforcement is necessary if rule of law is to thrive; namely, law enforcement that discriminates against no one and does not prefer some over others. All citizens are equal before the law. We will continue to do our job and complete our investigations against any suspect without bias or fear," Danino emphasized. He further added that "having an entire public forced to pay the price and wait for hours on the roads will not be tolerated. We won’t allow peace to be disturbed or roads to be blocked."

Rabbi Yaakov Yosef, on his part, chose to go about his daily activities. In the morning he left his home to teach in Jerusalem's Sanhedriah neighborhood. "I have nothing to fear," Rabbi Yosef told Israel Hayom, "As my daily whereabouts are known, should someone want, they can take me into custody."

Rabbi Eliezer Melamed (dean of the Har Bracha Yeshiva) has also expressed his support for both rabbis. "We must make it clear that the Torah's law takes precedence over all other laws... anyone who believes that human-made laws must prevail over one's conscience is a most dangerous man," he wrote in his regular column in the Besheva Weekly.

On Wednesday Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein backed Deputy State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan, who has become a target of Rabbi Dov Lior's supporters, saying that the attacks on Nitzan are over-the-top and outrageous. A recently published banner shows Nitzan under the headline, "Enemy of Torah." As reported last Monday, two right wing activists attempted to break into Nitzan's house (Nitzan was out of the country at the time).

A letter addressed to the Legal Forum for the Land of Israel from the attorney-general's assistant, explained the actions of the police. "Decisions on sensitive matters are generally made following careful deliberation within the office of the attorney-general and with his personal involvement. As such, complaints should be directed at the attorney-general and not at any single law enforcement official," the letter said. Referring to the Rabbi Dov Lior affair, Weinstein said that Rabbi Lior was provided with ample time to come in for questioning “in a dignified and quiet manner. These efforts were met with refusal, forcing the police to issue an arrest warrant.”

Weinstein's assistant rejected the claims of discrimination based on political grounds having said, "the allegations that law enforcement decisions are based on political and ideological motives is outrageous and could not be further from the truth."

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