Call for Israel to Hand over Alleged Child Abuser Malka Leifer

By Cameron Stewart
The Australian
June 3, 2016

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/subscribe/news/1/index.html?sourceCode=TAWEB_WRE170_a&mode=premium&dest=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/foreign-affairs/call-for-israel-to-hand-over-alleged-child-abuser-malka-leifer/news-story/353207e5605562bef8494b46a1f11b42&memtype=anonymous

Australia must step up pressure on Israel over the extradition of former school principal and ­accused sex offender Malka Leifer, one of the women’s alleged victims said yesterday.

She was speaking after a Jerusalem judge ruled Leifer was not mentally fit to face extradition proceedings to Australia and she would be set free from house ­detention.

The decision dashes the hopes of Leifer’s alleged victims that the former principal will face trial in Melbourne in the next few years and raises the possibility she may never be extradited.

“I am so angry, this is very ­unfair,” one of Leifer’s alleged victims told The Weekend Australian. “She has basically been set free to live her life.”

The alleged victim said the issue needed to be taken up more vigorously. “I would love the Australian government to put more pressure on Israel over this,” she said. “She needs to be bought back to face trial.”

Australia’s ambassador in Tel Aviv, Dave Sharma, said the ­embassy was liaising with the ­Israeli State Attorney’s office about the next step to take.