For the first time in the history of Israel’s High Court of Justice, the court will be live-streaming a hearing on the demolition of a terrorist’s home.
The court will be convening on Thursday to hear a petition filed by the left-wing organization HaMoked against the government’s decision to demolish the home of terrorist Dia Hamarsheh who murdered five people in Bnei Brak on March 29.
The High Court’s decision to live-stream the hearing came in light of a request submitted by Im Tirtzu, which has been a prominent critic of the court’s lack of transparency and of foreign, government-funded groups like HaMoked that defend terrorists and their families in court.
HaMoked, which is heavily funded by European governments and the US-based New Israel Fund, frequently petitions Israel’s High Court against the demolitions of terrorists’ homes.
According to Im Tirtzu, from 2012 to 2021, HaMoked received more than $13 million (NIS 44,969,217) from foreign governments and has submitted 93 petitions on behalf of 85 families of terrorists who murdered 81 Israelis.
Im Tirtzu’s Director of Policy Alon Schvartzer welcomed the court’s decision but said it was “absurd” that the court hadn’t dismissed the petition outright.
“The Israeli public has the right to know that an NGO that receives the majority of its funding from foreign governments systematically petitions the court against the demolition of terrorists’ homes. By doing so, foreign governments are intervening in Israel’s counter-terrorism policies,” Schvartzer said.
“The court should broadcast all future hearings on home demolitions and grant the public the opportunity to observe the legal process,” he added.
