Former chief justice to rule on IDF, gov't actions in territories

[Poll_Blind]

From Ha'aretz:

Former Supreme Court president Aharon Barak will issue several key rulings this week on government and Israel Defense Forces actions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Barak retired as Supreme Court president nearly three months ago, but his office is still living the last, tempestuous days of the Barak presidency. Friday will mark the final day of the third month since his retirement and the absolute last day on which rulings he has written will be released.

This week, then, a flood of judgments written by Barak is expected, among them some quite important ones that relate to controversial security issues.

These include rulings on a petition to abolish Israel's assassination policy in the territories; on the legality of the so-called "intifada law," which bans claims of damages resulting from Israel Defense Forces activity in the territories; on the reduction of the IDF's safety zone for shelling the Gaza Strip; and on the legality of the Matityahu East neighborhood built on land that used to be part of the West Bank village of Bil'in.
--snip--

  It will be very interesting to see how some of these rulings come out and how they will differ with the halachic rulings which have already been made/will be made by groups like the Yesha Rabbinical Council and how the government prosecutes (or doesn't) infractions. If the court rules against extra-judicial assassinations in the OPT, I think we're going to see a lot more reports of fatal "work accidents" in the territories.

PB

[Eugene]

1. Israeli court: Some Palestinians can sue (AP)

Tuesday, December 12, 2006 · Last updated 8:23 p.m. PT

Israeli court: Some Palestinians can sue

By STEVE WEIZMAN
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

JERUSALEM -- Israel's Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that some Palestinians
injured by the Israeli military may sue the state for compensation, a decision
hailed as groundbreaking by an Arab civil rights group but condemned by right-
wing Israeli lawmakers as damaging to the country's security.

A panel of nine judges unanimously voted to invalidate an Israeli law imposing
a blanket ban on compensation claims regarding "conflict areas." But they left
intact another statute exempting the state for claims for damage or injury
incurred specifically during military operations against "an activist or member
of a terrorist organization."

A statement by Israeli Arab rights organization Adalah hailed the court decision
but predicted more legal wrangles to define who is eligible to file a claim.

-snip-

Full article: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1107AP_Israel_Compensation.html