Senior rabbis give backing to convicted Jewish terrorist

The court ruled that enhanced interrogation had been used, but disqualified anything said by Ben-Uliel in the 36 hours following the use of these methods.

By JEREMY SHARON
Amiram Ben Uliel, the suspect in the Duma arson murder in July 2015 where three members of the Dawabshe family were killed, arrives to hear his verdict at the court on May 18, 2020 (photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/FLASH90)
Amiram Ben Uliel, the suspect in the Duma arson murder in July 2015 where three members of the Dawabshe family were killed, arrives to hear his verdict at the court on May 18, 2020
(photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/FLASH90)
Several dozen of the most senior religious-Zionist rabbis in the country have condemned the conviction and sentencing of Amiram Ben-Uliel.
They also called for the public to donate toward the funding of his legal defense team for an appeal to the Supreme Court.
The rabbis alleged that Ben-Uliel, who was convicted on three counts of murder of Sa’ad, Riham and 18-month-old Ali Dawabshe in 2015 when he set fire to their home, was convicted solely on the basis of a confession he made, following so-called “enhanced interrogation” by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency).
They said therefore that the conviction and sentencing were illegitimate, although the court also based its ruling on accurate details Ben-Uliel provided during a voluntary reconstruction he gave to the police, evidence provided by a minor who was an accomplice to the crime and other corroborating evidence.
Among those who signed the letter were Rabbi Haim Druckman, perhaps the most influential religious-Zionist rabbi in the country, Chief Rabbi of Safed Shmuel Eliyahu, former chief rabbi of Hebron Rabbi Dov Lior, head of the Temple Institute Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh, Rabbi Elyakim Levanon and Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, among others.
“There is no dispute, and the court also ruled thusly, that Amiram’s confession, which is the only evidence against him, was extracted due to the use of torture,” the rabbis alleged.
The court did rule that enhanced interrogation had been used and disqualified anything said by Ben-Uliel in the 36 hours following the use of these methods.
“Our concern is that an innocent man could be imprisoned for the rest of his life does not let us rest. It is our obligation to help as much as possible for the sake of justice for Amiram,” wrote the rabbis.
They ended their missive with a plea for donations for Ben-Uliel’s defense.
MK Yair Golan wrote in response to Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn calling for him to fire any rabbis from among those who signed the letter who hold publicly funded positions.
“These rabbis receive a salary from state institutions. They meet with students and soldiers in educational institutions, pre-military academies, hesder yeshivot and the IDF, and have a respected status in their communities and cities,” wrote Golan.
“All this while they behave with extreme lack of respect for state institutions, incite the public against the law enforcement and justice systems, and give support to Jewish terrorists directly or indirectly.
“Freedom of speech is a sacrosanct value in a democracy, but does not extend to hate speech, sedition and incitement.”