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Agence France-Presse

An Israeli court ruled on Monday after years of legal wrangling that an ultra-Orthodox Jewish former school principal suspected of dozens of cases of sexual abuse of her pupils in Australia can be extradited to face trial.
The ruling delighted her alleged victims as “a victory for justice”.
The Jerusalem District Court, which in May determined Malka Leifer was mentally fit to stand trial, said in its ruling “the defendant can be extradited to Australia for the crimes attributed to her in the extradition request”.
Leifer, who was not in court on Monday but took part by videoconference, is accused of child sex abuse while she was a teacher and principal at an ultra-Orthodox school in Melbourne, where she had emigrated from her native Israel.
Teacher accused of child sex abuse in Australia faked mental illness to avoid extradition: Israeli court
According to Australian media, she faces 74 counts of child sex abuse against girls.
After allegations against her surfaced in Australia in 2008, Leifer and her family left for Israel and have been living in Emmanuel settlement in the occupied West Bank.
A previous extradition attempt between 2014 and 2016 failed after Leifer was hospitalised in mental institutions and expert opinions found she was not fit to stand trial.
But undercover private investigators later filmed Leifer shopping and depositing a cheque at a bank, apparently living a normal life.
This prompted Israeli authorities to launch a probe into whether she was faking mental illness to avoid extradition, leading to her rearrest in February 2018.
Jerusalem District Court Justice Chana Lomp ruled in May that while Leifer had “mental problems”, they were “not psychotic problems of mental illness as in its legal definition” and she was fit to stand trial.

One of Leifer’s former pupils and alleged victims, Dassi Erlich, called the extradition ruling “a victory for justice” for “all survivors”.
“Today our hearts are smiling!” she wrote on her Twitter account.
Leifer’s legal team, however, said they would appeal Lomp’s ruling. “This is of course not the final word, and the final decision will be reached at the Supreme Court,” lawyers Tal Gabay and Yehuda Fried said in a statement, noting Leifer was currently receiving “significant antipsychotic treatment” in prison.
‘It’s shocking’: protests in Israel over gang rape of teen by 30 men
In July, the Supreme Court had rejected an appeal against Lomp’s earlier decision to declare Leifer fit to stand trial and encouraged the District Court to expedite the process.
The Israeli justice ministry called Monday’s decision a landmark for “the rule of law, for international cooperation and most importantly for those who were victims of Malka Leifer’s crimes”, accusing her of making “every effort to delay the proceedings and avoid extradition”.
“Today, the court put an end to those efforts by declaring her extraditable,” the ministry said in a statement.

Ayelet Shaked, who was justice minister between 2015 and 2019, welcomed the ruling as “the right decision”.
“Malka Leifer should be extradited to Australia as soon as possible,” she wrote on Twitter, calling on the Supreme Court to deal with any appeal swiftly.
The prolonged legal process has caused some tensions between allies Israel and Australia, with Leifer’s extradition being a central issue raised with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin during a February visit to Australia.


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Israel

Israeli court rules woman can be extradited to Australia to face child sex abuse charges

Australian Malka Leifer, right, is seen in a Jerusalem courtroom in 2018. A court on Monday approved the extradition of the former teacher to Australia after a six-year legal battle. Photo: AP

(FILES) In this file photo taken on February 27, 2018, Malka Leifer (C), a former Australian teacher accused of dozens of cases of sexual abuse of girls at a school, is escorted by police as she arrives for a hearing at the District Court in Jerusalem. - An Israeli court said on September 21, 2020 that Leifer can be extradited to Australia. (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish people, family members of Malka Leifer, a former Australian school principal accused of sexually assaulting students, walk out of the District Court after a verdict was heard in the extradition case against Leifer, in Jerusalem September 21, 2020. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

Australian man freed from Bali prison after serving one year for cocaine possession

Australian national William Cabantog leaves Kerobokan prison in Bali, Indonesia, after serving twelve months for cocaine possession. Photo: AP

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China says Australian journalist Cheng Lei detained on national security grounds

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Israel establishes full ties with Bahrain and United Arab Emirates at White House with ‘Abraham Accords’

(From left) Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump and UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan take part in the signing of the Abraham Accords in Washington on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

epa08671121 Palestinians protest against the peace agreement to establish diplomatic ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, 15 September 2020. Many are against the agreement between the UAE and Israel, as they consider it breaks a consensus between Arab countries not to formalize diplomatic relations with Israel before the establishment of the Palestinian state. EPA-EFE/ATEF SAFADI

epa08671141 US First Lady Melania Trump (R) and Sara Netanyahu, wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) arrive before US President Donald J. Trump hosts the Abraham Accords signing ceremony, which normalizes relations between the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain with Israel, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 15 September 2020. EPA-EFE/JIM LO SCALZO

epa08671165 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (2L) speaks as UAE Foreign Affairs Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (2R) and Bahrain Foreign Affairs Minister Sheikh Khalid Bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa (R) and President Donald J. Trump (L) listen during the Abraham Accords signing ceremony, which normalizes relations between the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain with Israel, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 15 September 2020. EPA-EFE/JIM LO SCALZO

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Australasia

Malka Leifer, who was principal of an ultra-Orthodox Jewish school in Melbourne, faces 74 counts of child sex abuse against girls
She left Australia in 2008. Previous extradition attempts failed when she was hospitalised for mental health issues, but she was found fit to stand trial


Malka Leifer, who was principal of an ultra-Orthodox Jewish school in Melbourne, faces 74 counts of child sex abuse against girls.


Australia

Sexual harassment and assault

Crime

Oman

Israeli court rules woman can be extradited to Australia to face child sex abuse charges

Malka Leifer, who was principal of an ultra-Orthodox Jewish school in Melbourne, faces 74 counts of child sex abuse against girls She left Australia in 2008. Previous extradition attempts failed when she was hospitalised for mental health issues, but she was found fit to stand trial

Malka Leifer, who was principal of an ultra-Orthodox Jewish school in Melbourne, faces 74 counts of child sex abuse against girls

She left Australia in 2008. Previous extradition attempts failed when she was hospitalised for mental health issues, but she was found fit to stand trial