Answering parents’ plea, court orders transfer of Arab suspect

JERUSALEM, July 9 (JTA) — Israel’s High Court of Justice has ordered the justice minister to seek the arrest and transfer of a Palestinian terrorist suspected of murdering an Israeli student. The court gave Justice Minister Tzachi Hanegbi 120 days to act on the order. In May 1996, David Boim was killed in an attack near the settlement of Beit El. His parents filed the petition, stating that the Justice Ministry had not done anything to demand the arrest and hand-over of the Palestinian, Amjad Hanawi, who is believed to be in the Palestinian autonomous areas. Boim’s father, Stanley, said the family acted because the government had not been moving on the matter. Since his son, an Israeli citizen, was killed in territory administered under the responsibility of the State of Israel, “the murderer should be brought to justice in a court of justice in Israel,” he told Israel Radio. Under the Oslo accords with the Palestinians, Israel can request the hand-over of suspected terrorists involved in attacks on Israelis. The Palestinian Authority must respond to the requests. However, a hand-over can be delayed if the suspect has been convicted and sentenced in the Palestinian court system. So far, the Palestinian Authority has rejected — or not responded to — other Israeli requests for the transfer of suspects.