Padre Gabriel Naddaf, denunciato per molestie sessuali da militari dell'IDF
Sintesi personale
Father
Gabriel Naddaf, whose support for Christians serving in the Israeli
army has made him the target of violence, denies allegations of
harassment
timesofisrael.com
Un certo numero di soldati della comunità cristiana araba ha presentato denuncia contro il sacerdote
greco ortodosso, affermando di essere stati molestati sessualmente da lui .
Eyal Paltek, avvocato dei militari, ha dichiarato : "Non c'è dubbio che dopo questa denuncia
iniziale, ne seguiranno altre ." L'indagine è stata avviata dalla polizia di Haifa -
Domenica Canale 2 ha mandato in onda le registrazioni e le trascrizioni di
conversazioni . Il prete sembra promettere permessi di ingresso in Israele a giovani uomini palestinesi in cambio di favori sessuali.
Naddaf ha fermamente negato le accuse contro di lui e posto in discussione la tempistica della pubblicazione del rapporto.Sottolinea che lui che lui e la sua famiglia sono stati obiettivi di
denigrazione e di violenza occasionale per il sostegno dato al
servizio militare per i cristiani.Gli è 'stato vietato di entrare nella chiesa di Nazareth , la
sua auto è stata vandalizzata e ha ricevuto minacce di morte. Nel 2013 suo figlio è stato ricoverato dopo essere stato attaccato da attivisti contrari al suo lavoro.
"La verità è che non ho mai fatto nulla di quanto descritto nella
relazione , non ho mai molestato sessualmente alcuno , non ho mai
fatto male intenzionalmente , né ho lavorato per ottenere
permessi per i palestinesi che vogliono venire in Israele". Il governo non revocherà probabilmente la scelta di fargli accendere la Torcia a Gerusalemme per il Giorno dell'Indipendenza
Naddaf’s Christian Arab community have filed formal
complaints against the Greek Orthodox priest, saying he sexually
harassed them, according to Channel 2 news.
Eyal Paltek, the soldiers’ attorney who
filed the complaint with the Haifa Police, said, “There is no doubt that
after this initial complaint, more will follow.”
The complaint followed just hours after the
Haifa Police announced it was launching a preliminary investigation into
allegations of sexual misconduct by the priest, who is an outspoken
advocate of the integration of Christian Arabs into the Israel Defense
Forces.
“Some of the claims have reached the police
and they will be checked by professionals in the police investigations
and intelligence unit as needed,” police spokeswoman Luba Samri said in a
statement on Monday, before the complaints were filed.
On Sunday, Channel 2 aired recordings and
transcripts of conversations in which the priest appeared to promise to
help unidentified young men in exchange for sexual favors. The report
included claims from unidentified Palestinians that Naddaf had offered
to help them obtain entry permits into Israel in exchange for the
favors.
Naddaf, who has been named as one of the
ceremonial torch-lighters at the state’s Independence Day ceremony in
Jerusalem this week, was in the Knesset at the time of the police
statement. He firmly denied the allegations against him and questioned
the timing of the report’s publication.
Naddaf says he and his family have been the
targets of vilification and occasional violence for his support for
military service for Christians. He has been banned from entering
Nazareth’s Church of the Annunciation, his car has been vandalized and
he has received death threats. In 2013, his son was hospitalized after
being attacked by activists opposed to his work.
“There are elements who are plotting against me, against my wife, against my two sons who serve in the army,” he said.
“The truth is that I have never done any of
the things described in the report — I have never sexually harmed
anyone, I have never intentionally hurt anyone, nor have I worked to
arrange travel permits for Palestinians to come to Israel,” Naddaf said.
He added: “I want to thank the public
committee [that chose the torch-lighters] for choosing me. This choice,
especially of a member of clergy in Israel and the representative of the
Arabic-speaking Christian minority, bears witness to the fact that the
State of Israel is a democratic state, and we all have the duty to
defend it. I will light the torch on Independence Day.”
Naddaf agreed to take a lie detector test at
Channel 2’s request, and failed it. He said in his statement Monday that
he has recently passed two other polygraph tests administered by
external auditors.
“Because I know that I’m right, I have
submitted to this questioning without any fears of repercussions from
police and I’m sure the truth — that this is a conspiracy against me —
will be revealed,” Naddaf said.
Later Monday, Naddaf went to Mount Herzl to rehearse for Wednesday night’s Independence Day torch-lighting ceremony.
On Sunday evening, Culture Minister Miri Regev
told Army Radio that she supports the public committee’s decision to
choose Naddaf as a torch-lighter, an honor given to exemplary citizens
in various fields, and said he would participate in Wednesday’s state
ceremony unless the allegations against him were proven to be true.
Committee member Dr. Hani Zubida told Channel 2
on Tuesday that the allegations against Naddaf were not known to those
who chose the torch-lighters. Zubida noted that the question of
rescinding Naddaf’s invitation to light the torch was “complicated”
because of the virulent campaign against him over his activism.
The committee consulted with relevant state
legal advisers who said it did not have the authority to rescind its
award once it had been made, he added.
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