For Immediate Release January 7, 2009

HIGH COURT SETS DATE FOR HEARING OVER PRIVATE ISRAELI CITIZENS' PROSECUTION
OF ISLAMIC WAQF

On 10/11/07 Shurat HaDin - Israel Law Center filed a private civil criminal
action against the Islamic Waqf on behalf of more than 150 Israeli citizens,
indicting the Waqf members for the illegal bulldozing and destruction of
Jewish artifacts being carried out under their auspices on the Temple Mount.
The Waqf seeks to eradicate all evidence of Israel's ancient connection to
this holy site and re-write Jerusalem's history. We contend that it is
nothing less than a religious, cultural and archaeological crime against the
world Jewish community. We are seeking to imprison the Waqf's leaders.

This past May, we were notified by the State Attorney General, Menachem
Mazuz, that he is halting our private prosecution on the grounds that an
issue with such broad public implications and interest cannot be prosecuted
by private citizens. In essence the Attorney General refused, out of fear
of the international response, to prosecute these Islamic extremists and
he decided to obstruct Shurat HaDin from undertaking the litigation
ourselves.

Prior to his decision to thwart the litigation, Shurat HaDin argued that the
Attorney General's motives in this case were not of a pure legal nature and,
thus, his office should step aside completely and not involve itself in the
process. After receiving the official decision in which he has formally
asserted his determination to block our private prosecution, Shurat HaDin
decided to turn to the High Court of Justice (Bagatz) with a petition that
the Attorney General be compelled by the High Court to either prosecute the
case himself or step aside and allow us to continue with our legal case as
provided for by the law.

The Bagatz petition contends that the Attorney General is not coming to the
table with "clean hands," but rather, while concerned with narrow political
interests. We alleged that the Attorney General has a political agenda and
political considerations, rather than purely legal ones. The Attorney
General is simply too afraid of the Arab states, the European Union, the UN
and United States State Department to legally defend Jerusalem.

If the Attorney General's office does not have the courage to take criminal
action against the Waqf itself, then it must stand aside and permit others
to pursue this just case.

The brief was filed in the Supreme Court in Jerusalem on Yom Yerushalayim,
June 2, 2008.

The Supreme Court has scheduled the hearing for February 2, 2009. The public
is invited to attend.

For More Info: info@israellawcenter.org , Tel.: 03-751-4175