Nadia Matar ‘Freedom of Speech’ Trial Begins …

Nadia Matar ‘Insult Trial’ Begins

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Excerpts;

Matar is charged with violating a law that prohibits Israeli citizens from insulting public officials, a move that her lawyer, Yoram Sheftel, said was indicative of the double standard applied to the right and left political spectrums in Israel.

“Just this week the daughter of the Prime Minister, which [sic] is an extreme leftist activist, accused the Chief of Staff of the Israeli army of being ‘a murderer’, which is exactly the same offense,” he said. “I can bet my life,” he added,”that not only will the daughter of Olmert not be charged as Nadia Matar – she will not even be investigated.”

Matar herself seemed content with the way things had gone in the first day of the proceedings. “It will, of course, wake up the people to the fact that this country today is a totalitarian dictatorship,” she said. “The day will come when we will have a Jewish democracy,” she assured a crowd of supporters. “The most important thing is to have a Jewish state in the Land of Israel – in all of the Land of Israel,” she emphasized.

Nobel Prize Laureate, Professor Yisrael Aumann spoke to the protestors, saying that although he did not like Nadia’s language in her letter to Yonatan Bassi, democracy and freedom of speech should allow expression which is not always complimentary.

“It is scandalous. Freedom of speech is oppressed… just like in the cases of the soldier Hananel Dayan… and Rabbi Druckman. This is singling out individuals who express their views,” said Professor Aumann. Rabbi Druckman, who expressed strong opposition to the expulsion of Jews from their homes in Gush Katif, was subjected to an official hearing on his remarks.

Professor Aumann added that he fears that Israel is becoming a Bolshevik state.