The decision to bring Dr. Israel Sheib, extremist leader, to trial on charges of inciting revolt against the Israel Government and State was understood here today to have been reached after top level governmental consultations. Three months ago, during preliminary hearings against Jacob Heruti on charges of membership in the underground, the prosecution announced in court that it was considering action against Dr. Sheib, who was the ideological leader of the Stern Group.
In its specification of charges presented in the Magistrate’s Court here, the government quoted from a pamphlet written by Dr. Sheib that it was “those who retreated from Gaza” who were the killers of Dr. Israel Kastner, former Hungarian Jewish leader who was assassinated last year. Dr. Sheib insisted that any underground on other political foe of the government would want to keep Dr. Kastner alive.
The prosecution charged that from these writings it could be inferred that Dr. Kastner had been murdered on instructions from leaders of the state. Such writings, it further charged, imbued readers with hatred for the legal government of Israel. Dr. Sheib, one time high school teacher, has recently been doing historical research In Jerusalem.
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