JERUSALEM (ISRAEL)
Associated Press
December 30, 2019
Australia’s Jewish community has slammed an Israeli government decision to promote to the post of health minister a legislator who is suspected of aiding an alleged sexual abuser wanted in Australia.
The Israeli government on Sunday appointed Yaacov Litzman as health minister, sparking a litany of condemnations from Australia’s staunchly pro-Israel Jewish community.
In an open letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Jeremy Leibler, the president of the Zionist Federation of Australia, called the decision “a slap in the face to the Australian Jewish community, the Australian people,” as well as to the survivors of the alleged abuse.
In a tweet Sunday, the Australia Israel & Jewish Affairs Council, another pro-Israel body, called the move “a deplorable decision and insulting to Australia and all those many Australians justifiably expecting the prompt extradition of Malka Leifer,” the alleged abuser.
Leifer is wanted in Australia on 74 charges of sexual assault during her time as a teacher and principal of an ultra-Orthodox religious school in Melbourne. She returned to her home in Israel in 2008 as allegations surfaced, was arrested in 2014 and has since faced a protracted extradition process that critics have deemed a farce.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.