ISRAEL COURT APPROVES HANDING OF CHARLIE HEBDO COPIES

Tel Aviv, 7 Jumadil Awwal 1436/26 February 2015 (MINA) – An Israeli court has ruled for the right of the right-wing party, Yisrael Beiteinu, which is headed by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, to hand copies of an edition of satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo that features a cartoon mocking Islam’s prophet Muhammad [PBUH].

The party said on its Facebook page that Israel’s Arab parties had opposed the decision, which was issued by the High Court of Justice on Wednesday, World Bulletin quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting, Thursday (26/2).

Lieberman said the court’s decision to allow his party to hand copies of the satirical French magazine sent the message that Israel was a Jewish and democratic state that never bowed to threats and violence allegedly practiced by the Arab members of Israel’s Knesset (parliament).

He accused these Arab members of striving to turn Israeli into a state ruled by the militant organization ISIL which has overrun vast territories in both Iraq and Syria.

Israel Public Radio, meanwhile, said the decision to allow Lieberman’s party to hand copies of the magazine was approved by all the members of the court’s jury. It added, however, that the head of the court had opposed the decision.

The Islamic Movement inside Israel lashed out at the court for issuing the decision, saying in a statement that this decision legalized offense to Islam’s prophet.

Charlie Hebdo made headlines late in January when its Paris headquarters was attacked by three masked militants, killing a group of journalists, including the magazine’s editor-in-chief. The militants were allegedly protesting against magazine cartoons, mocking prophet Muhammad. (T/P002/R03).

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)