Israeli Court Approves Extradition of Former Mexican Diplomat

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The Facts

  • The Jerusalem District Court ruled on Thursday that former Mexican diplomat Andrés Roemer is eligible for extradition on charges of sexual abuse and rape in a high-profile case.

  • Roemer, who has 30 days to appeal the decision, has been placed under house arrest as the Israeli Justice Ministry decides whether or not to sign off on his extradition.


The Spin

Narrative A

Roemer may finally be on the verge of being extradited to face sex-crimes charges in Mexico, but Israel still has a much bigger problem to deal with. Alleged foreign sexual predators have arrived in droves, abusing the country's openness to Jewish immigration to flee from justice. It's utterly unacceptable that Israel has become a safe haven for criminals.

Narrative B

The media has ignored the key principle of impartiality when it comes to reporting unverified — not to mention poorly supported — allegations against Roemer, effectively depriving him of his presumption of innocence. He fled to Israel due to political persecution in Mexico, and his extradition to his home country would be unethical.