-- Mayor of Bet Shemesh Moshe Abutbol, talking about the court decision today regarding the signs against women (i.e. about dressing modestly, about not walking on certain sides of the street, etc) in Bet Shemesh... Perhaps Abutbol transferred ownership of those neighborhoods to the local residents. If not, I am not sure what makes them private and why he thinks the law needn't apply to them.
you can hear the entire interview with Mayor Moshe Abutbol in which he said the above
While Abutbol's argument almost seems logical - it is the job of the police to deal with the illegal activity of the residents hanging the signs and not his job - the court refuses to accept it. In part, as was expressed in court today, because the judge threw back at Abutbol something he himself said in an interview on a Haredi radio program that he supports the continued existence of the signs. The courts said if he supports it he cannot turn around and be believed to say he does not support it and just cannot do anything about it.
I have no idea why he is not fining the offending people with hefty fines. When forced, he takes the signs down and lets them immediately put them back up. When he wants to deal with other illegal activity in the city, and make money off it, he seems to find ways.
Anyways, the courts gave him to Sunday to have the signs removed for good. If not the fines previously decided upon will be strictly enforced, and the court will consider jailing him for contempt.
If he lets it get to the point that he gets arrested over it, he'll be a hero to the Haredi community. I can hear the platitudes already of נתפסת על דברי תורה and the like.. Besides for jail being a perfect launching point to a career in national politics with Shas, as some have joked, his hero/martyr status will send him far...
It is going to get interesting in Bet Shemesh over the next few days..
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But if, in fact, he is not able to do anything about it (not having a private militia at his disposal), what difference do his personal preferences make? Have we entered the era of the Thought Police?
ReplyDeleteI dont know what tools he has or does not have at his disposal, both legally and practically. I do think he could try harder instead of the half-assed way he does it now. If you build an illegal extension on your house, you very well might get hit with a hefty fine. Dont pay that and let's see what happens. If you dont pay parking, a city parking inspector will come around and slap you with a nice fine. Hang illegal (i.e. unlicensed) signs in many places around town and they will take down the name and number on the sign and slap them with a nice fine. Has he fined these buildings hanging the signs with fines for illegal signage? Maybe they'll be willing to pay, but then at least the Iryah will get some money out of it and he will have tried. Maybe he has other tools at his disposal for repeat offenders. He has not tried.
ReplyDeleteThey now have until the 18th.
ReplyDeleteThe Iryah could pay for guards to keep watch and stop anyone trying to replace the signs. Granted, the signs are on the tops of buildings, but I would guess that placing a few gun-toting Shomrim on the roofs will help out.
ReplyDeleteHow can Israel claim to be NOT an apartheid state when the local & national governments tolerate this separation enforced by threats & violence? When ministers propose separate towns for religious and secular, for ultra-orthodox & modern O? When Ashkenz schools have quotas for Sephardim? South Africa can eradicate apartheid life and so can America but Bet Shemesh can't. Some solutions: fine building owners where such signs appear; require the buildings be vacated for one year after three offenses; implement community policing in hot neighborhoods. Be inventive. There is a bad trend tolerated and spreading across Israel--even MKs are proposing racists/sexist initiatives.
ReplyDeleteWhat are "building owners"? Why do I have to pay a fine if my neighbor puts up a sign?
Deleteif someone hangs it on his porch, he can be fined. if someone hangs it on the public part of the building, the vaad bayit can be fined.
DeleteI have yet to see one sign pictured that says "women not allowed on this street". They do say things like "women are asked to walk on this side of the street" but that is a far cry from restricting access and sounds like simple free speech to me.
ReplyDeleteThe court specifically said it was OK to request for women to dress modestly, another theme of many signs. So I don't see where the signs are that the court is threatening about...