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The Israeli government made it official last week that a new police sub-station was scheduled to open within days on Har Hazeisim, it was announced by the International Committee for the Preservation of Har Hazeisim, headed by its founding chairman, Avrohom Lubinsky. Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch publicly announced during a tour of East Yerushalayim last Tuesday that 25 police officers will be stationed there to protect against grave desecration and stone throwing. “It will greatly increase the feeling of security,” Aharonovitch said, adding that plans for the station have been in the works for over a year. He noted that his ministry coordinated with international Jewish groups who have demanded a greater police presence at the Mount of Olives cemetery.

According to Mr. Lubinsky, the police will initially deploy atop the mountain, just in front of the Seven Arches Hotel (formerly the Intercontinental Hotel, which was built by the late King Hussein and resulted in the destruction of 75,000 graves). The police sub-station will be housed in trailers (or as the Israelis call them “caravans”). But Mr. Lubinsky said that the police will patrol the entire mountain and have “rapid response” vehicles to help them get around. They will work closely with the private security force that is already in place and with the staff that monitors the control room which carefully watches input from the 90 cameras (of a planned 137) that are already operational. The Israeli government has budgeted funds for the construction of a new permanent building for the police, which is expected to be completed within two years.

In another major development relating to the security of Har Hazeisim, the police announced the arrest of five Arab youths from the capital’s Silwan neighborhood accused of being part of a gang that throws rocks at police officers and at people approaching Har Hazeisim. The gang damaged police jeeps and patrol cars as well as Beit Yehonatan, a heavily guarded building that is home to seven Jewish families and is often the scene of conflict. Police indicted the five males, three of whom are under the age of 18, in the Jerusalem District Court on Monday. All five are under house arrest. The five suspects were indicted for conspiracy to commit a crime, attempted arson, attacking a police officer with the intent to seriously injure, disturbing the peace, and carrying and producing weapons. Meir Indor of the Almagor Victims of Terror Organization, who was lightly wounded by rocks in Ras al-Amud at the intersection next to the Mount of Olives cemetery in 2010, said students from a nearby middle school regularly throw rocks at that intersection after classes are done for the day. He called it their “after school activity.”

Reacting to the arrests, Mr. Lubinsky noted: “It remains to be seen what sentence will be meted out against the perpetrators, which is precisely why the Committee intends to intensify its efforts in 2012 to pass legislation to mandate stiff sentences against perpetrators who committed crimes in cemeteries or perhaps even people approaching a cemetery.” He added that he hopes that the legislation will deal with stone throwers who are younger than 12, when police are unable to punish the child beyond appealing to their parents. The Committee is proposing that the bill include punishment for children under 12 (such as being sentenced to a special boot camp) and even prosecuting parents for their children’s actions.

Later this month, the committee is planning a series of events in Yerushalayim to highlight its efforts to secure Har Hazeisim. On Friday February 24th, the Conference of Presidents, led by Malcolm Hoenlein is scheduled to tour Har Hazeisim. On Motzoei Shabbos February 25th, there will be a big event for Har Hazeisim at the Great Synagogue. The event, which last year drew more than 1200 people, will take place in the main shul and will include an address by Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon as well as Malcolm Hoenlein. To project the national consensus on Har Hazeisim, a panel of MK’s from across the political spectrum will participate, including Yoel Hasson (Kadimah), Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) and Isaac Herzog (Labor). The ICPHH will also recognize the efforts of officials in the Prime Minister’s Office as well as the Jerusalem Development Authority for their initiatives on Har Hazeisim. On Monday February 27th, a Knesset Committee, headed by Deputy Speaker Danny Danon is scheduled to hold hearings on Har Hazeisim. In addition to government officials, Mr. Hoenlein and this writer are scheduled to testify.

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(Menachem Lubinsky – Press Release)