On video: the reconstruction of the shooting at Yuval Castleman.
December 7, 2023/according to Article 27 A of the Copyright Law
I look at Minister Ben Gabir's written and broadcast words to the Israel Police officers, he claims that he backs them up in all their actions.
My heart is missed.
The minister does not distinguish between backing the police when they act properly, in accordance with the rule of law, for the sake of the citizens and while preserving human rights - and providing backing for illegal acts, blatant lies, police violence and even the fear of disrupting investigative procedures as occurred - and is still occurring - in the case of the investigation into the death of my beloved son , tributary.
Yuval was shot to death on November 30, 2023 after he showed rare civil heroism, and got out of his car towards the scene of an attack which he spotted from a distance armed with his personal gun.
He was very skilled in its operation, after seven years of service in the Border Guard and the Israel Police.
He reached the terrorists' car and neutralized at least one of them.
After seeing that a soldier who was on the spot had neutralized the other, he hurried away from the terrorists' vehicle, threw away his gun, opened his coat, raised his hands above his head - and yet was shot to death by the reserve soldier Aviad Frija.
I would like to emphasize that Yuval saved many lives, huge caches of weapons were discovered in the vehicle of the two terrorists who were neutralized.
Clearly they intended to continue their mass murder spree.
Since then and until today, there have been many outrageous investigative failures - including such blatant lies, which apparently entail disruption of investigative procedures on the part of the police - until my heart breaks.
I feel that there is a deep doubt if the Israeli police will be able to burn the evil from near.
And the worst of all is the absolute backing given by the minister to the spreading rot.
Yuval was shot to death after he showed rare civilian heroism, and got out of his car towards the scene of an attack which he spotted from a distance armed with his personal gun.
Yuval Castelman/courtesy of the family
A mask of lies and foot dragging
More than three months have passed since the death of Yuval the hero.
The dominant feeling is that the Israel Police is sinking, both professionally and morally.
I myself have been a volunteer for many years in the police.
I remember the phone call from Minister Ben Gabir during the swearing-in ceremony for my dead son.
Apparently, the minister wanted to express his condolences.
In practice, all he did in the painful conversation was teach her defense about the shooting soldier, who is suspected of killing my son with carelessness.
It is even possible that the soldier committed a more serious offense;
He may have committed murder while showing indifference to human life.
Throughout the months that have passed since my son's death, my family members and I witnessed in amazement both the string of lies on behalf of the Israel Police, and the foot-dragging on behalf of the State Attorney's Office and the Department of Police Investigations in investigating these lies.
In fact, to this day no criminal investigation has been opened on suspicion of obstructing investigative procedures on behalf of any of the police officers.
why?
The State Attorney's Office and the State Attorney have solutions.
In May 2023, the State Comptroller published a serious report on the operation of the State Attorney's Office. The case of the false investigation of the police against our family, after Yuval's death, shows very well how much nothing has changed. The Minister of Justice ordered the establishment of a committee To check the functioning of the Police, to examine its structure and its organizational affiliation and to prevent potential conflicts of interest of officials within it (some of them come from the Israel Police, which they are supposed to investigate).
The committee's conclusions were supposed to be on the table within 90 days.
In practice, as mentioned, nothing has changed - and if something has changed, it seems that it is only a change for the worse.
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It is even possible that the soldier committed a more serious offense;
He may have committed murder while showing indifference to human life.
Aviad Frija shot to death Yuval Castelman/Shlomi Gabai
Reminder: A police officer on behalf of the central unit of the Jerusalem District Police drew up a false memo in which he claimed to have spoken to the doctors who tried to save my son's life at Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem, even though he did not actually speak to them.
He also claimed in the memorandum that the doctors told him that no bullet remains were found in Yuval's body.
Based on his words, and after he also told the family, we agreed to bury Yuval's body without an autopsy.
Only later did it become clear that the doctors found many metal remains in Yuval's lower abdomen, and in a later report it was clarified that a complete bullet was also found in his chest.
At first, the investigators of the investigating military police (to which the investigation was transferred after a few days) , since the suspect is a reservist), as well as the attorneys of the military prosecution, because there is no need to analyze Yuval's body. They presented the facts in good faith to the military judge, who discussed the extension of the suspect's detention. "H. Autopsy of the corpse.
Indeed, after a few days it became clear that the police had misled the investigating military police and the military prosecution, and that there was no escape from removing my son's body from the grave for an autopsy.
A short time later, the state attorney, attorney Amit Isman, ordered an investigation by the police investigation department.
The purpose of the investigation is to decide whether there is room to open a criminal investigation.
It is not clear why such a test is necessary.
A criminal investigation should have been opened immediately: obstructing the course of an investigation is a serious criminal offense.
When it is carried out on behalf of police officers, it is doubly serious.
Certainly when it comes to the investigation of the wrongful death of a civilian - and especially when it comes to a hero who risked his life to save many, and then also paid with his life due to a wanton shooting that killed him.
Obstructing investigative proceedings is a serious criminal offense.
When it is carried out on behalf of police officers, it is doubly serious.
Police officers at the scene of the attack in Jerusalem/Flash 90, Chaim Goldberg
All requests did not help
Three months have passed since the state attorney announced an investigation.
A criminal investigation has not yet been opened.
The police officers had more than enough time to disrupt the investigation of the National Security Agency, if they wanted to; and we remained amazed at the conduct of the police, the state attorney's office, and the National Security Agency.
All our entreaties, requests, pleas and even our demand for a proper criminal investigation on behalf of the Ministry of Defense, as part of a press conference we convened a few weeks ago - were of no avail. Also the letters on the matter from our lawyers Daniel Haklai and Amit Shelf to the head of the Ministry of Defense, the State Attorney and the Legal Advisor to the Government - Bring up pottery.
The most outrageous thing of all is that Yuval acted in the incident where he saved a life, in accordance with the values that guided him throughout his life: human solidarity, mutual guarantee, responsibility and commitment to the sanctity of human life as it is expressed within the commandment from the Jewish mitzvot: You shall not stand on the blood of your neighbor.
Israel Police , on the other hand, acted in the complete opposite way. During nine hours, during which the doctors fought for Yuval's life in the hospital, no one bothered to inform the family that Yuval had been shot and that he was mortally wounded. Yuval was declared anonymous when he was rushed to the hospital, even though his wallet contained no less than - 8 IDs. We were only informed after nine hours that he was in the hospital. Yuval thus fought for his life alone for hours, with no family member by his side. Then came the blatant lie about a conversation with the doctors that never took place, about denying the existence of bullet remains in Yuval's body despite the existence of many metal remains and even a complete bullet in the chest, and regarding the lack of sense in the autopsy of Yuval's body even though this autopsy was necessary and even critical.
For nine hours, during which the doctors fought for Yuval's life in the hospital, no one bothered to inform the family that Yuval had been shot and that he was mortally wounded.
A press conference held by the Castleman/Bini Ashkenazi family
break the cycle
All of these teach the opposite of human solidarity, mutual guarantee, responsibility and commitment to the sanctity of human life.
Also the fact that the state attorney ordered in December 2023 an investigation by the National Security Agency, but since then nothing has happened and not even a criminal investigation has been opened - shows the exact opposite of the principles that guided Yuval in his life until his death.
We expect the state attorney and the management of the National Security Agency to interrupt the smear cycle.
We demand that a criminal investigation be opened against the police officers on suspicion of obstructing investigative procedures.
We are in contact with the military prosecution, which accompanies the military police investigation that should result in an indictment in the military court against the shooter.
We are working for a serious indictment to be filed against the shooter.
"This is a time for soul-searching, but also a time of desire and an opportunity for correction and improvement. We must not miss it."
Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir/Niv Aharonson
Learn from Miron's report
Despite my broken heart;
Despite the deep disappointment with the conduct of the authorities;
And even though we feel that they abandoned the search for the truth, and violated the duty to act in accordance with the values that guided Yuval - I insist on ending my article with an expression of hope.
Recently, the report of the commission of inquiry was published in the case of the Mount Miron disaster, in which 45 Israeli citizens, adults and children, were crushed to death, who wanted to celebrate in revelry near the grave of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.
The serious conclusions of the committee show a huge rot, which has spread throughout all state authorities and at all levels.
This is very reminiscent of the massive decay we described above.
But the committee concluded its words with a sentence that I wish to take to heart: "This is a time for soul-searching, but also a time of desire and an opportunity for correction and improvement. Let us not miss it."
We therefore call on all public servants - including the State Attorney's Office, the Israel Defense Forces, and the Israel Police - to come to their senses and act in light of the values that guided Yuval, including integrity and diligence (Yuval had three degrees due to his diligence, was considered an outstanding police officer, was a respected lawyer at the Civil Service Commission and motivated If our call is heard and even internalized - it is possible that a goat will come out a little sweet after all.
More on the same topic:
Yuval Castelman
M.S
attacks
Itamar Ben Gabir
Israel Police