al 2A - The Michigan Daily - Monday, March 22, 2004 NEWS Israeli court justice discusses human rights at ' Keynote address is part of 3rd Annual Academic Conference on Israel By Melissa Benton Daily Staff Reporter A better understanding of Israel and its policies leads to more acceptance and appreciation for the country, according to Brad Sugar, co-director of the 3rd Annual Academic Conference on Israel. With this goal in mind, students, faculty and the public gathered at the Michigan League yesterday for the conference, titled "Israel: The Successes, The Setbacks, The Road Ahead." Participants discussed issues related to the Middle East and listened to speakers throughout the day, including Israeli Supreme Court Justice Dalia Dorner. "The purpose of the conference is to expose the general public not only to the Arab-Israeli conflict, but also to other topics in Israel and to debunk some of the myths about the Arab-Israeli conflict," Sugar said. Sugar hoped the conference would unite people through open dialogue. The event's purpose was to help people understand Israel's progressive agenda and the difficulty of the Arab-Israeli conflict, Sugar said. Dorner closed the conference by delivering a keynote address focused on democracy in Israel and titled, "Protecting Human Rights in the New Age of Terror." The court system is a vital part of the democratic process in Israel, Dorner said. "The government of Israel has never questioned the authority of the court. The court is the protector of human rights, especially in times of etergency," Dorner added. The Israeli Supreme Court has played a key role in upholding human rights in several cases, she said. The court ruled in favor of Lebanese citizens who were being held as "bargaining chips for the future." The court also ruled that it was illegal to use force to elicit information regarding future terrorist activities. Although some may argue that national security is more important than human rights, the court made these decisions because "human rights must prevail," Dorner added. Israeli law is based on a partial constitution, which is composed of two basic laws, Dorner said. The first basic law affirms the value of human life and dignity and the second provides for freedom of occupation, she said. Although Israel is currently developing a more complete constitution, she stressed that the most important thing is to have an independent court system. "The best constitution is nothing without the courts to enforce it. That's what I teach all law stu- dents. What's important is the independence of the courts and a state that accepts the decisions of the courts - even if they don't agree," Dorner said. Although the Arab-Israeli conflict is an important issue in Israel today, Dorner said the court is helpless to resolve it. "The Israeli Supreme Court doesn't deal in politics and can't do a thing to resolve the conflict. But I must be an optimist so I hope for the best that one day we'll have peace in this country," she said. "I'm an optimist because when the state was first established, we were really in danger of being extinct. onference But we survived, and today there are people forging papers to come into our country. Israel, with all its problems, is a state that's not bad to live in," Dorner added. Many students said they came to the conference to further their understanding of terrorism and the Mid- dle East conflict. "I'm interested in the topics because I have a friend serving in the Israeli army. I want to get a more broad understanding, especially from this (lec- ture) because it's about terrorism," LSA sophomore Sam Maxbauer said. Students also attended the lecture to learn more about Israeli law and what they can do to help com- bat terrorism. "I want to get more of an understand- ing about the political situation in Israel. I'm pro-Israel. ... I feel that the terrorism is tragic and destructive," Rackham student Anne Welsh said. Dorner said she came to the University because she felt it was her duty to her country. "It's a day about Israel, to explain our problems. Hearing some of the questions, I think I did good," Dorner said. She said she also wants to spread awareness about the positive political situation in Israel. "Israel's experience as a democracy can serve as a guide for others," she added. The conference consisted of several other events, including a lecture by Lt. Col. Amos Guiora, com- mander of the Israel Defense Forces School of Mili- tary Law and Education. Michigan Daily editors moderated the talks by Guiora and Dorner. HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE WORLD KBUL, Afghanistan Mghan aviation miister killed in gunbattle Soldiers loyal to a local commander shot and killed Afghanistan's aviation min- ister yesterday in the western city of Herat, setting off a gunbattle in which as many as 100 people died in vicious factional fighting, the commander told The Associated Press. In Kabul, President Hamid Karzai's Cabinet convened in emergency session after the killing of minister Mirwais Sadiq - a son of Herat's powerful governor - and dispatched extra troops to try to calm the city. Presidential spokesman Khaleeq Ahmed said only that the minister had been shot in his car and circumstances were unclear. But a top Herat military commander, Zaher Naib Zada, told AP by telephone last night that his forces had killed Sadiq in a confrontation after the minister went to Zada's home to fire him. Afterward, Zada's forces and soliders loyal to Sadiq began fighting with machine guns, tanks and rockets for control of the city's main military barracks. Zada said between 50 and 100 soldiers were killed in the first hours of the ongo- ing battle. TAIPEI, Taiwan Taiwan leader's re-election comes under fire Taiwan's High Court ordered all ballot boxes sealed yesterday as thousands of protesters demanded a recount of President Chen Shui-bian's re-election, saying it was marred by voting irregularities and an apparent assassination attempt that wounded the incumbent. The court said it was sealing the boxes to preserve evidence, but it did not order a recount of Saturday's vote as requested by challenger Lien Chan. The opposition also said it would seek to nullify Chen's narrow victory Saturday, arguing he unfairly received sympathy votes because of the election-eve shooting, which remained unexplained. Chen, who campaigned on a China-bashing platform, and Vice President Annette Lu were shot and slightly wounded while riding in an open Jeep on Friday in Chen's hometown of Tainan. Nobody has been arrested, and police have not identified any suspects. A $718,750 reward was offered for information leading to an arrest. Chen won Saturday's election with 50.1 percent of the vote compared to 49.9 percent for Lien - a margin of just 30,000 votes. 0 0 BAGHDAD, Iraq Insurgents kill two U.S. soldiers in Iraq Rebels killed two U.S. soldiers in a rocket attack in western Iraq, the U.S. military said yesterday, and two Iraqi civilians died and one American soldier was injured in a rocket attack on U.S.- led coalition headquarters in Baghdad. A 1st Infantry Division soldier also was killed yesterday in an apparent accident during a weapons firing exer- cise in Samarra, about 60 miles north of Baghdad, Army spokeswoman Maj. Debra Stewart said. The incident was under investigation. One of three rockets fired in Bagh- dad landed inside the coalition head- quarters but caused no significant damage, a U.S. official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The injured soldier was hit by flying glass. Some staffers in the compound took cover in basements. KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia Islamic party loses election in Malaysia Malaysians gave their secular prime minister a huge election victory yester- day, smashing a fundamentalist Muslim party that had wanted to impose an Islamic state in the Southeast Asian country. The results were seen as a personal endorsement for Prime Minister Abdul- lah Ahmad Badawi, whose low-key style has proved a sharp contrasted to his com- bative predecessor, Mahathir Mohamad. Many voters - especially the Chinese and Indian minorities - had feared Islamic fundamentalism was on the rise in Malaysia, a country that has detained scores of suspected terrorists in the past two years, some linked to al-Qaida. Abdullah's United Malays National Organization scored huge gains in two states in the rural north, the stronghold of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party. ELLENSBURG, Wash. Lesbian minister celebrates victory The acquittal of a lesbian Methodist pastor charged with violating church doctrine drew praise and scorn yester- day across a denomination that may see its divisions over homosexuality laid bare at a major conference next month. Saturday's acquittal of the Rev. Karen Dammann was celebrated yesterday at the church where she used to preachin Ellensburg, a small town in Washington. "I'm very pleased," said Dodie Haight, a member of the congregation who sat through Dammann's trial about 95 miles away in the Seattle suburb of Bothell. "I don't think the jury had an easy task, but I think they gave it long, thoughtful, prayerful consideration." - Compiled from Daily wire reports WWW.MICHIGANDAILY.COM The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University of Michigan. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Daily's office for $2. Subscriptions for fall term, starting in September, via U.S. mail are $105. Winter term (January through April) is $110, yearlong (September through April) is $190. University affiliates are subject to a reduced subscription rate. On-campus subscriptions for fall term are $35. Subscrip- tions must be prepaid. The Michigan Daily is a member of The Associated Press and The Associated Collegiate Press. ADDRESS: The Michigan Daily, 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1327. E-mail letters to the editor to letters@michigandaily.com. 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