According to a Channel 2 News report, Justice Minister Prof. Yaakov Ne’eman has been quietly working via his backroom abilities to expedite the release of Jewish prisoners.

In response to the report, the minister’s office released a message “Every clemency request received by the minister is investigated”, denying the minister gives any preferential treatment to cases involving with Jews imprisoned for attacks against Arabs.

The report is based on a recording to a telephone conversation between Ne’eman and a Honenu official at the time the government was contemplating the Shalit prisoner release. Efforts to include so called “Jewish terrorists” were stepped up as organizations including Honenu hoped to capitalize on the release of Arab terrorists towards including Jews imprisoned for their attacks against Arabs.

The recorded conversation has the minister saying “I told them what to do but they don’t listen. I told them to file on behalf of each prisoner separately, not collectively, citing the individual reasons to grant clemency and submit them to the president. I will approve any pardon signed by the president”.

During the conversation Ne’eman was asked “This is how it was done with the Arabs?” to which he replied “regarding the Arabs, it was a political decision. You want it to be a political decision there will be High Court appeals. Why are you making mistakes? You are given instruction as how one may solve the problem. I recommend going on an individual case by case basis and not the political or social route. This is the only way it will work”.

Peace Now’s Yariv Oppenheim is calling on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to dismiss Ne’eman in light of the report.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)