http://www.palsolid arity.org/ main/2006/ 10/04/police- lies/&cid= 0
Haaretz: "Judge: Police Officers Lied While Testifying
Against" Israeli Anarchists
October 4th, 2006
Posted in Press clippings, Bil'in Village
by Nir Hasson
October 3rd

Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court revealed Tuesday that police
officers lied while testifying against 11 left-wing
activists accused of violent acts during anti-fence
demonstrations in the West Bank village of Bil'in. The court
acquitted the activists.

The presiding judge viewed video footage filmed by both
police officers and members of the group "Anarchists Against
the Fence" that did not bear evidence of violent acts.

Judge Muki Landman harshly criticized the police's behavior
in his ruling.

"A feeling of serious discomfort has arisen from the mighty
gap between the officers' testimony and what is seen in the
video tapes," Landman wrote. "I cannot rule out the
possibility that had it not been for the videotapes, I would
have reached a different result regarding the defendants."

The 11 activists were indicted following a demonstration in
February 2004, on the day the International Court of Justice
in The Hague began deliberations on the West Bank separation
fence.

The activists sought to protest against the fence in the
West Bank but later moved their demonstration to a location
opposite the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv. The activists sat
on the road, causing severe traffic snarls.

The prosecution filed serious charges against the activists
that included charges of violent unruliness and of
interfering with police officers. An additional indictment
of attacking a police officer was erased from the charge
sheet before a verdict was issued.

Landman rejected the majority of the prosecution' s claims
but also rejected claims made by the activists that police
officers acted violently when breaking up the protest.
Landman also rejected the defendants' claims that their
behavior was protected by international law as a legitimate
means of opposing the occupation and the separation fence.

The judge convicted nine of the 11 activists on a minor
charge of illegal congregation. Two others were convicted of
vandalism after spray painting graffiti on the walls of the
Kirya defense compound in central Tel Aviv.

Sentencing is scheduled for February 2007.

[The following final paragraph is from the orginal Hebrew
but was omitted by the Ha'aretz translation. Translated by
Rann Bar-On:]

Yonatan Pollack, an activist in the organization [Anarchists
Against the Wall], said that for him the acquittal is merely
technical, and expressed disappointment from the fact that
the court did not address the topics they [the activists]
tried to bring up, such as the occupation and the wall. "The
essence of the trial was not the accusations against us but
rather the conduct of the state of Israel in the Occupied
Territories. The court chose to ignore the fact that the
construction of a wall is not just a political issue but
also a legal one."

****