JERUSALEM: Israel's highest court yesterday rejected an appeal against extradition to Australia of Malka Leifer, a former Jewish ultra-Orthodox school principal accused of sexual abuse of many of her pupils there. "With the issuance of our judgment, all the arguments are closed and the declaration of extradition takes final effect," said the Supreme Court ruling, published by the justice ministry.

Leifer is accused of child sex abuse while she was a teacher and principal at an ultra-Orthodox school in Melbourne, where she had emigrated from her native Israel. According to Australian media, she faces 74 counts of child sex abuse against girls. After allegations against her surfaced in Australia in 2008, Leifer and her family left for Israel and moved to the Emmanuel settlement in the occupied West Bank. Israeli Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn welcomed the supreme court ruling. "After long and agonizing years, the time has come to do justice to Leifer's victims," he tweeted in Hebrew. "I intend to sign the extradition order without delay."

74 court hearings
The court noted the years in which Australia's extradition request had been bogged down in Israeli courts. "More than six years have passed since a request was filed in the Jerusalem district court to declare the appellant extradited to Australia," it said in its Hebrew-language ruling. Since then, it continued, "there is no proceeding that the appellant has not taken" to prevent her extradition.

Extradition agreements signed by Israel "must be respected and anyone seeking to flee justice will not find sanctuary in Israel," it said. Israeli public broadcaster KAN aired a response from one of the alleged victims, Nicole Meyer. "It has been 74 court hearings, nine years of fighting for justice," she said. "We did not give up, we kept fighting, and finally today we heard the words that Malka Leifer will be extradited and the appeal was denied." "We really hope to see her back in Australia very soon and face her in court," she said.

Israeli prosecution lawyer Avital Ritner-Oron however said that it could still be "months" before Leifer is on her way. She told KAN radio that the suspect's lawyers could try to convince Nissenkorn not to sign the extradition order or following his signature they could go back to court with an appeal against his judgment. She added that it would also take some time to coordinate the practicalities of her transfer with Australian authorities. "But we are certain and determined that in the end Malka Leifer will be extradited to Australia," she said. "I imagine that we are talking about a limited number of months." - AFP