EXTRADITION

In Nahariya, The Galilee Medical Center director- general Dr. Masad Barhoum said his hospital would open a fourth coronavirus ward by Tuesday at the expense of an internal medicine ward.

“This is the second internal medicine ward that is becoming a coronavirus ward,” Barhoum said. “We will have to use anesthetics as part of a [ coronavirus] team to treat serious patients, so we will have no choice but to postpone elective surgery.”

At the time of Barhoum’s statement on Monday, some 89 patients were hospitalized in The Galilee Medical Center, nearly 50 of whom were in serious condition, including 14 who were intubated.

never wavered in their determination and commitment to bring Leifer back to Australia to face justice,” Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler said.

He also called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ensure that the government does everything to facilitate the extradition process, as the prime minister promised him in a meeting last October.

The Magen organization, which was involved in exposing evidence that Leifer was living a normal life while claiming to be mentally unfit for trial, said the court’s ruling “validated that which we and so many have argued for so long – Malka Leifer is fit and must stand trial for the crimes that she is alleged to have committed.”

The organization added: “We also hope this will send a message of strength to survivors of sexual abuse in Israel and around the world: that while the journey may be long and difficult, the truth is worth fighting for.”

Manny Waks, director of the Kol V’Oz organization for the prevention of child sex abuse, said that Leifer and the Adass Israel School, where she allegedly committed the sexual abuse of her pupils, had hoped “they had avoided justice” and that “the horrific allegations against her would never be heard in an Australian court.”

Waks condemned the Israeli judicial process for the time it has taken to reach an extradition ruling for Leifer, saying that these failings must be examined.

” While there may yet be a further appeal, we have now overcome the biggest hurdles and can look forward to Malka Leifer’s extradition. We hope and trust that any remaining processes will be dealt with quickly so that we may see Leifer back in Australia in 2020,” he said.

“We know that there are many more alleged victims of Leifer and we encourage them to now come forward,” Waks said. “If they need help, we are here for them. We know how difficult it is, but you will be supported.” •