Jerusalem court orders Malka Liefer’s extradition to Australia

After a six-year legal battle, Israel is to deport Malka Liefer to Australia where she faces trial on 74 charges of child sex abuse, a Jerusalem court ruled on Monday. Proclaiming her innocence, the former teacher’s case has strained relations between Jerusalem and Canberra. The Supreme Court earlier threw out a letter by Leifer’s attorney claiming she was mentally unfit to stand trial after the claim was rejected by a psychiatric panel. Three sisters, students at a Melbourne ultra-Orthodox school,  accused Leifer of abusing them while they were her students and said there are other victims. After the Jerusalem court ruling, they declared it was “a great day for justice.”