A statement by Juvenile Court Judge Noam Shiloh during a hearing in the case of two 15-year-old Palestinians who entered Israel illegally caused a stir.
The two were caught by the police a day after they climbed over the perimeter fence.
According to a report on i24, Judge Shilo decided to take into account their age and thin body structure, and even the fact that the defendants giggled during the hearing, and ruled that the proceedings would end without conviction and without punishment - taking into account their age and condition.
When the police, in coordination with the prosecutor's office, requested a stay of execution for the purpose of filing an appeal, Judge Shilo uttered the sentence that sparked the uproar: "They remind me of Jews who stole potatoes in the Holocaust.".
The prosecutor's office expressed serious concern about creating a dangerous precedent that would allow the entry of illegal immigrants without deterrence.
Following the appeal, the District Court accepted the state's position, overturned Judge Shilo's decision, convicted the two minors and sentenced them to prison terms.
The Judiciary Spokesperson stated: "The judge's words, which were spoken at the end of the hearing as part of an exchange of words with the litigants, stemmed, according to him, from the human association that arose in him in view of their young and thin external appearance, which testified to their distress and nothing more.
""This is a case that was conducted before the juvenile court behind closed doors according to law, in which the two minors were accused of offenses that were illegal in circumstances where they were trying to sell products in order to support their family. Since this is a confidential juvenile case, it is not possible to add to the above.".
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