Tuesday, November 11, 2014, 8:53 On Friday, November 7, a 22 year old knife-wielding Arab man in Kfar Kanna attacked IDF soldiers, one of whom subsequently shot and killed him after ascertaining that the soldiers’ lives were in danger. The Israeli Police interrogated the soldiers for their actions, which is not an unusual occurrence. Time after
“Legal first aid” card, both sides
time policemen and soldiers are interrogated after participation in operations combating terror.
In response to the persecution and pressures used by antisemitic organizations to hamper security forces and their operations against terror, Honenu has been working during recent months to increase awareness among soldiers and policemen of their legal rights.
Since Operation Protective Edge (Summer 2014) Honenu volunteers have distributed over 10,000 “legal first aid” cards to soldiers and policemen. The cards explain their basic legal rights and include Honenu’s hotline number which operates 24 hours a day. The stock of
Distribution of cards during Operation Protective Edge
the cards has been exhausted and Honenu is printing thousands more in preparation of a distribution campaign which is particularly necessary following the deterioration of the security situation during recent days.
“Since we began distribution we have handled various cases of soldiers and border policemen who found themselves in legal entanglements and assisted them with debriefings, interrogations, and also indictments,” said Honenu. “Only last week we handled the cases of two detained soldiers who were released following intervention by Honenu attorneys.”
In a similar situation to that which the above-mentioned soldiers encountered in Kfar Kanna, Shalom (Charlie) Shlush, a policeman in the Yamam (special police counter-terrorism unit) was murdered on October 21, 1990, as he attempted to neutralize an Arab terrorist who had stabbed a female soldier in the Baka neighborhood of Jerusalem. Shlush followed the strict open-fire orders, fired into the air, then at the terrorist’s legs and the terrorist still advanced. The terrorist stabbed and murdered Shlush, hy”d.
“It was not for nothing that soldiers in Hevron coined the slogan ‘Better to have a bad
Graffiti of the slogan on concrete barrier
lawyer than a good cantor [to lead prayers at one’s funeral],” said Honenu director Shmuel Meidad. “We provide, of course, excellent attorneys, but one must understand that the soldiers are in situations which pose an immediate threat to their lives and we are here so that they will not hesitate before they injure terrorists and rioting Arabs who have the intent of harming them and all of us. Our goal is that whoever fights terror returns both alive and inculpable.”
See here a video clip of Shmuel (Zangi) Meidad, the director of Honenu, distributing cards in Hevron at the “David the Nachal soldier” guard post. Video credit: Honenu
See here the case of four Lavi Battalion soldier who were detained in July of 2014 and released from remand after receiving legal counsel from Honenu.