Australia's Jewish community is furious: "Israel must surrender Queen Liper"

The lengthy legal saga over the fate of a school principal suspected of dozens of sex offenses has angered the Jewish community in the state, which requires Israel to extradite it. "Israel has a duty to do the right thing," said one of her victims

Australia's Jewish community is furious: "Israel must surrender Queen Liper"

Nicole Meyer suffered years of alleged sexual abuse by the former school principal. She was forced to see that the abusive manager fled her place of residence in Australia to Israel, evaded law for years and is now undergoing a lengthy extradition procedure, which visitors see as farce.

The long and dubious legal saga about the fate of the sex offender not only angered Meyer, but explores the relationship between Israel and one of its closest allies, Australia. The case of Queen Leiper is still far from being resolved and even the pro-Israeli Jewish community in Australia is losing patience.

"When time and time again, the process just doesn't progress, it becomes more and more difficult," said Mayer, 34, who lives in Melbourne. "Israel has a duty to do the right thing," she added. Meyer and her two sisters claim that Leifer abused them while they were students at an ultra-Orthodox school in Melbourne, claiming that there were other victims. When the allegations first surfaced in 2008, Leifer, a reliable teacher and principal of an isolated religious community, left her position at the school and traveled to Israel, where she has lived ever since.

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Queen Leifer in Israeli court (Photo: AP)

Malka Leiper, principal of Australian school suspected of sexually abusing her students and Israel not giving back there, December 28, 2019 (Photo: AP)

Leiper is currently facing 74 charges of sexual assault in Australia, all cases related to charges brought by the three sisters. The judge in the civil lawsuit against Leifer and the "Ada Israel" school where she taught gave Meyer's sister more than $ 700,000 in damages.

But in Israel justice is slow. Critics say the legal proceedings are in vain delayed, and even claimed that one minister in government embarrasses Israel with its close ally. The legal case puts a wedge between Israel and Australia, a country whose diplomatic support relies on the Jewish state, against what it sees as anti-Israeli sentiment in international organizations.

The Lifer case has repeatedly come up in discussions between state leaders, as well as in discussions in the Australian Parliament. His twists and turns annoy some lawmakers. "I do not question the independence and integrity of the Israeli justice system, and I do not doubt the Israeli Justice Department's commitment to pursue this case," said Dave Sharma, MP from the ruling Liberal Party and former Australian ambassador to Israel. "But enough is enough. This case lasts too long."

Leiper is facing 74 charges of sexual assault in Australia

After Australia filed for extradition, Leifer was remanded in custody in 2014, undergoing the extradition process, which ended in 2016 when a mental health assessment determined she was unfit to stand trial.

Leiper was arrested again in early 2018, after an investigation that she allegedly caught led to a seemingly normal life, contrary to what she told the court she was suffering from mental illness. The court sought to conduct another psychological review and has since been held in detention in Israel.

Since her first arrest, the court has heard Lifer's case dozens of times. At the last hearing, a panel of psychiatrists announced the ruling on whether Leiper was mentally fit to stand trial because he needed more time, as the panel appeared to be unaware of the scheduled hearing. A new hearing is expected to take place on January 14, but a separate trial for its extradition has not yet begun and appeals are also expected. It is unclear when, if any, Leiper will face the justice system in Australia. "It's really hard to explain how we saw this case evolve," said Manny Vox, a victim advocate who is closely monitoring the case. "I was really left speechless. It's just a lack of professionalism and incompetence."

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Queen Leiper to be arrested for extending her arrest (Photo: AP)

Malka Leiper, principal of Australian school suspected of sexually abusing her students and Israel not giving back there, December 28, 2019 (Photo: AP)

The person involved in the case up to the neck is Deputy Minister of Health Israel Litzman. Police recommended that he be indicted for fraud and breach of trust, on suspicion that he was pressuring office workers to tip Lifer's psychiatric assessments in her favor. The State Attorney's Office is expected to decide whether to file official indictments, though Litzman denies having committed any offense.

Both the Department of Justice and the Department of Foreign Affairs refused to comment on the Leiper case. Lawyer's lawyers have warned that politics runs the risk of entering the legal process.

On his first visit by an Israeli leader to Australia in 2017, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had no "better friend" than Australia, calling the country's pro-Israeli Jewish community "extraordinarily committed" to the Jewish state. But that support began to crack down following the Leiper affair. Australian Jews and community organizations have spoken out against the state's handling of the case.

"As a court appearance passes without bringing a extradition order, further trauma is inflicted on the survivors," said Anton Block, who was recently appointed Australian Judicial Council Chair. "I expect Israel to bring it back," Meyer said. "It's an expectation that if it doesn't, I have no idea how to move on."