Israeli Court Dismisses Indictment Against Priest In Encounter With Yeshiva Student

Today's Jerusalem Post reports that an Israeli Magistrate's Court last week dismissed an indictment against a Greek Orthodox priest who punched a Jewish yeshiva student in the face after the student spat on the ground toward the priest as he passed. The incident took place in Jerusalem's Armenian Quarter. The Jerusalem Magistrate's Court invoked a provision calling for dismissal of an indictment if it "contravenes the essence of the principles of justice and fairness."  Judge Dov Pollock in his ruling said that the dismissal came after evidence that for years police have not acted to stop daily incidents of members of the ultra-Orthodox community spitting at members of the Christian clergy. The spitting is a criminal offense, and the court said it is intolerable that a Christian should be demeaned because of his faith.