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Politics : Israel to U.S. : Now Deal with Syria and Iran -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: GUSTAVE JAEGER who wrote (9352)	12/1/2005 4:02:33 PM
From: Elmer Flugum	Respond to of 22250

Fund-raising, Isra'Eli style... Court okays U.S. extradition for suspected underworld boss haaretz.com "The Supreme Court on Wednesday unanimously rejected an appeal by suspected underworld figure Zeev Rosenstein against his extradition to the United States, where he is wanted for his alleged part in major drug-trafficking deals involving Ecstasy. Justice Edmond Levy ruled that the U.S. has the "natural right to protect itself against those from overseas seeking to harm it." Justices Levy, Mishael Cheshin and Elyakim Rubinstein said Rosenstein's alleged criminal actions primarily hurt citizens and residents of the U.S. "The United States is the country which was hurt by the evil acts which were committed... and how just and right it is, that it should be the United States which judges him and sentences him," the judges said. "Israel - like the world's other nations - is forced to confront a new criminal reality in which crime has become more organized, more international and more widespread than ever before," the judges ruled. "The most obvious are international drug crimes in which, to our great regret, Israeli criminals are taking a central role. This reality requires the joint efforts of nations and tight international cooperation, of which extradition is a key tool." The head of the State Prosecution international division, attorney Gal Levertov, said that it was possible to arrange Rosenstein's actual extradition within a week's time. This remains the case even though defense lawyers are still able to file an appeal in the High Court of Justice and, possibly, also to appeal for a second ruling with a wider panel of judges. According to Levertov, however, all the potential appeals Rosenstein might make to the High Court have already been rejected in earlier proceedings. In response to Wednesday's ruling, Levertov said "the court has accepted the state position that an individual could avoid extradition after carrying out criminal activity within Israel's borders that harm the interests of another state." According to an extradition agreement between Israel and the U.S., Rosenstein could serve any prison sentence he receives in Israel, police told Army Radio. Rosenstein's defense attorneys - Professor Ariel Ben-Dor, Devora Chen and Shlomo Nissim - have not yet decided whether to file an appeal against the Supreme Court ruling. Rosenstein petitioned the Supreme Court seven months ago against the Jerusalem District Court's decision. A senior justice source said a few days ago that if the High Court were to ruled against the extradition, Rosenstein would probably have to be released, since a trial in Israel will be difficult because most of the evidence and intelligence information against him is in American hands. Meanwhile, the Justice Ministry said this week that a decision by a U.S. Federal Appeals Court to accept the appeal of alleged Rosenstein aide Shemtov Michtavi has nothing to do with Rosenstein's extradition, since the court rejected the portion of Michtavi's appeal regarding his conviction, and only accepted the part protesting the harshness of his sentence. Israeli police, acting on an international arrest warrant, arrested Rosenstein a year ago for allegedly smuggling drugs from the European Union to the U.S., including an attempt to export 700,000 Ecstasy tablets to New York. The investigation leading to Rosenstein's arrest spanned three years and several countries. Rosenstein, 51, has long been accused of being one of Israel's top crime bosses, but aside from a brief stint in prison for armed robbery in the 1970s, he had eluded authorities. In December 2003, a bomb attack targeted Rosenstein - the seventh attempt on his life - leaving him with scratches while killing three passers-by and wounding 18 others in Tel Aviv. The attack was believed to have been ordered by rival mob bosses, police said." What about Sam Sheinbein? len