Talk:Yehoshua Ben-Zion

Negative statements by Felicia Langer

Felicia Langer is not an unbiased authority about Yehoshua Ben-Zion. She was a lawyer who lost a trial in Ben-Zion's court and had a personal grudge against him. Her book of memoirs is not a reliable secondary source independent of Yehoshua Ben-Zion. Inclusion of her judgmental opinions without balancing violates WP:NPOV. Therefore I'm removing the negative statements by this source. Marokwitz (talk) 14:38, 15 September 2011 (UTC)

Extreme sentences

Hi, can you provide an exact quote from the book by Felicia Langer regarding "reputation for extreme sentences, beyond those asked for by prosecutors, including the death penalty"? I find that claim strange, since there is no capital punishment in Israel (except for Adolph Eichmann). Furthermore she cannot be considered a secondary source unrelated to the subject, since she was directly involved in court cases with him and obviously did not like this person. See for example States of Fantasy By Jacqueline Rose, p. 24. Marokwitz (talk) 05:48, 14 September 2011 (UTC)

Page 124: under heading MAJOR YEHOSHUA BEN-ZION: Attorney Langer describes taking on the case of Faruq Abd al-Shani Ahram, graduate of Amman University, accused of membership of the PFLP and having "talked with two other people about the Front." Langer states that at this time, 1973, the court in Hebron was giving people on similar charges sentences from six to twelve months. "When I was told the president of the court would be Major Yehoshua Ben-Zion I knew I would have to fight hard to get the result I wanted. The judge was know for the death sentences he had imposed 'voluntarily', without being asked to do so by the prosecutor." [I agree there have been no judicial executions apart from Eichmann - but I have seen (reference currently misplaced) a newspaper report of a Palestinian being sentenced to death. I presume the sentence was reduced on appeal]. Langer describes a character witness for the defence: Zalman David, former member of the Irgun. He was ready to be responsible for the defendant and find him a job. The witness said the defendant's family had helped him and his family during the mandate and that they should be "counted with the just amongst the Gentiles". The judge sentenced Faruq to ten years in prison. "The sentence shocked even the prosecutor, for that was the maximum punishment for membership of an illegal organisation, generally given to peoples who had carried out operations, or to long-standing and important members of the organisation, people considered as its leaders." Someone in the court shouted "Felicia, the sentence is actually against you."

"The Appeals Military Court reduced Faruq's sentence from ten to five years. That was still a stiff sentence. The arguements for accepting the appeal expressed open criticism of the Lydda Military Court and of the sentence which had been read by its president, Yehoshua Ben-Zion." Langer goes on to add: "As far as I know , he is a member of the Greater Israel movement. In all his sentences (and this I criticised in the appeal) the word "Israel" never appears. It is always 'the Land of Israel.'" Padres Hana (talk) 14:35, 19 September 2011 (UTC)