Interior Minister Moshe Arbel submitted a complaint against Judge Itai Hermelin of Hashalom Magistrate’s Court in Tel Aviv for preventing the Israel Prison Services from displaying Israeli symbols during video calls to extend the arrest of people suspected of involvement in terrorism.
According to an N12 report on Sunday, Hermelin clashed with the IPS on multiple occasions.
In the first case, a video conference hearing started with an Israeli flag hanging behind the suspect. When Hermelin questioned the flag’s presence, the IPS guards responded that “this is what we’re doing these days,” to which the judge responded that it was unacceptable to him.
In another incident, the IPS set their name on the screen to “Am Israel Chai” (the people of Israel live). Hermelin asked why they hadn’t set their name to “Tel Aviv Jail” and was told that it was to cheer up the IPS members who had lost friends in the war.
“This isn’t your personal Facebook page,” replied Hermelin. “I won’t hold the hearing like this.”
Changing names on video conferences
On a couple of other occasions afterward, the IPS set their name to “together we will win” and “Swords of Iron,” but on those occasions, they were also told to change it to “Tel Aviv Jail.”
Arbel submitted his complaint in a letter on Monday in which he pointed out that in peacetime, suspects would be brought to the court for their hearings instead of over video call and that in court, they would be sitting alongside an Israeli flag.
“It’s unclear why there’s a problem with placing an Israeli flag by a suspect while they are in an IPS jail and attending the hearing via video conference,” he said. “The opposite is true. The IPS guards acted correctly when they did all they could to match the conditions of the hearing via video conference to those in the court.”
Aside from this, Arbel added that many law enforcement officers, including prison guards, lost their lives on October 7.
“This is the time to thank the defense forces, support them, and trust their discretion on matters within their expertise instead of insisting on things that shouldn’t be insisted on,” he said.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also sided with the IPS in a statement on Monday.
“I give my full support to the IPS commissioner for her decision to continue ensuring that all the hearings held over video conference are held with the background of an Israeli flag and the nation’s symbols,” he said. “The judge doesn’t have the authority to order the removal of the nation’s flag and symbols. Any judge who isn’t okay with a Jewish nation with Israeli flags and symbols can leave their position.”
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