Almagor turned down over petition on PA body transfers

With a compromise in hand between the sides, High Court dismisses petition by the Almagor Terror Victims Association to block future transfers of terrorists’ bodies to the PA.

By YONAH JEREMY BOB
Freed Palestinian prisoners on bus 260 (photo credit: REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah)
Freed Palestinian prisoners on bus 260
(photo credit: REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah)
With a compromise in hand between the sides, the High Court of Justice on Sunday dismissed a petition by the Almagor Terror Victims Association to block future transfers of terrorists’ bodies to the Palestinian Authority.
In a hearing on Wednesday, the state had offered a compromise, namely that Almagor could appeal to the Defense Ministry on decisions of the state to transfer terrorists’ bodies.
Almagor had wanted a court order compelling the state to give 48 hours notice to victims’ families before transferring certain terrorists’ bodies, as exists with transferring live terrorists, to better enable appeals to the court and the public to block the transfers.
Almagor accused the state of having a policy which was tantamount to adopting the Palestinian view that terrorists were legitimate fighters, since it said only legitimate fighters should have their bodies treated with honor.
The court’s endorsement of the compromise represented a partial achievement by Almagor in that it more officially obligates the state to follow-through with its oral commitment during last week’s hearing.
However, Almagor head Meir Indor had said that if the courts failed to compel the state to give notice, it would show “the bankruptcy of the courts,” and the dismissal ended the possibility of the courts intervening directly to force the state’s hand.
He also expressed dismay that the state was accepting “terrorists’ argument that they have a political agenda,” and the idea that courts cannot intervene as they can in dealing with lesser criminals.