Or Commission
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The Or Commission (Hebrew: ועדת אור; the full name is ועדת החקירה הממלכתית לבירור ההתנגשויות בין כוחות הביטחון לבין אזרחים ישראלים באוקטובר 2000) was an Israeli panel of inquiry appointed to investigate the October 2000 events at the beginning of the Al Aqsa Intifada in which 12 Israeli Arabs and one Palestinian were killed by Israeli police amidst often violent demonstrations; one Israeli Jew was killed by stones thrown at his vehicle near one such demonstration. The commission's report was released on September 2, 2003. The chief investigator was Theodore Or, a judge at an Israeli High Court.
The commission criticised the Israeli police for being unprepared for the riots and possibly using excessive force to disperse the mobs, resulting in the deaths of 12 Arab Israeli, one Jewish and one Palestinian citizens. Shlomo Ben-Ami, the Internal Security Minister at the time, was found partially responsible and the commission recommended that he not hold that post again (he later became Foreign Minister).
Three ranking Arab-Israelis, including two Arab members of the Knesset, were also heavily criticized for their role in helping incite the riots.
Eight policemen were warned by the commission, most of them had left the police. Two of them were released from the police due to the conclusions. All politicians were untouched by the commission.
The commission's report was highly controversial, both for its findings and for its exoneration, some commentators believed this amounted to virtual circumvention of due process for Arab citizens. One year after the release of the commission report, Theodore Or publicly attacked the government for failing to implement its recommendations.
[edit] External links
- Ha'aretz in-depth report
- Official summary of the Or Commission report
- Full Or Report (Hebrew)
- Or accuses government of apathy
- Israel inquiry finds pattern of prejudice toward Arab citizens. New York Times (2003-09-01).
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