Eitan case: tomorrow the trial in Tel Aviv starts again, decisive days for its future

The trial to decide the fate of Eitan, the only 6-year-old child who survived the Mottarone tragedy, starts tomorrow in Tel Aviv. On 23 September, in the first hearing on the custody dispute between the paternal and maternal family – grandparents on the one hand and an Italian aunt on the other – the Israeli judge made a provisional decision that was somewhat ‘Solomonic’: three days with the family paternal and three with the maternal one at least until 8 October, the day of return to court. The next scheduled hearings are tomorrow morning starting at 9, Saturday 9 October from 20.30 to respect Shabbat and Sunday 10 starting from the hearing at 13.30. It is to be understood whether a decision will arrive at the end of these three days or if, on the other hand, it will probably take more time to decide – based on the Hague Convention – the return of the child to Italy, to the home of aunt Aya who lives on the outskirts of Pavia. Pending the decision, the families have asked for a total blackout to protect the child. On 11 September his maternal grandfather Shmuel Peleg, with the excuse of spending a few hours with his grandson, took him to Israel on a private flight from Switzerland. The man is being investigated by the Pavia prosecutor – together with the child’s grandmother and the driver – for kidnapping aggravated by the minor age of Eitan who lost his parents and little brother in the incident of 14 May last. The Italian justice system is also dealing with his case: on October 22, a hearing against the appointment of his paternal aunt as guardian of the child will be held at the Milan Juvenile Court.