Watan-A court in Tel Aviv extended the detention of a 64-year-old Israeli settler from “Kiryat Shmona” settlement in northern occupied Palestine for eight days on charges of raping three children aged between 4 and 7 in a hotel sheltering Israeli war refugees in the “Gush Dan” area.
According to the Hebrew newspaper “Yedioth Ahronoth,” Zion F’anono, 64, from “Kiryat Shmona,” is suspected of committing “indecent acts” against three children in the hotel, after a mother of a 4-year-old girl lodged a complaint against him, leading to his arrest.
The suspect’s lawyer requested a publication ban on his name and a closed-door session, but the police representative opposed the request, stating: “The suspect sexually harassed a young girl in the hotel. We suspect there may be other victims, as at this stage suspicion revolves around three children.”
After questioning the suspect, he claimed that “the girl came to him.”
The judge did not accept the request for a publication ban, stating in his decision, among other things: “Although the request relates to the crime of a heinous act against a minor under the age of 14, without detailing, it actually involves suspicion of committing sexual assaults against three children aged between 4 and 7, who were displaced as a result of the war.”
In his decision, the judge wrote that “at this stage, there is suspicion of committing despicable acts, but the investigation may lead to other directions.”
The suspect admits to physical contact, but claims it was “innocent” physical contact, according to the newspaper.
The lawyer for the accused said she was aware of the seriousness of the act, but based on what she learned from the suspect, it does not seem to meet a high standard for sexual crimes.
The Israeli Knesset (parliament) revealed last week what it described as a “dire situation” in the hotels where 56,000 Israelis have been housed since being evacuated from settlements in the north four months ago.
Maya Oberbaum from the Assistance Centers Association presented some complaints received by the Committee for the Advancement of Women, saying, “A woman called us on the hotel hotline she was directed to and tearfully told us she was raped in her room by a man also staying at the hotel.”