'Meshilut' movement sends letter demanding to know why non-criminal suspect Ron Lauder detained, says faux pas infringes on civil liberties.

Last Friday American Jewish businessman Ron Lauder was detained at Ben Gurion airport, immediately upon his arrival. Mr. Lauder had traveled to Israel in order to attend the funeral of former Israeli President Shimon Peres.

"Meshilut," the Movement for Governability and Democracy, has denounced the detention of Mr. Lauder, claiming that this was done unlawfully. Meshilut subsequently appealed by letter to Minister of Justice Ayelet Shaked, Chief Legal Advisor Mandelblit and Police Chief Alshich, demanding to know who gave order to detain Mr. Lauder, disregarding the fact that he is not a criminal suspect.

"It is a good thing that law enforcement officials strive to discover the truth and investigate cases in which Prime Minister Netanyahu is allegedly involved," states the letter. "However, it is unacceptable that the mere fact that a person is among the 'inner circle of the Prime Minister' makes him fair game and allows any number of heavy-handed measures to be taken against him.

"If investigators wish to collect a statement from a witness they are welcome to respectfully coordinate a meeting with the relevant party. Such an unceremonious detention is inappropriate."

The letter goes on to state that, "Such behavior can render a disservice to the reputation of the State of Israel and its law enforcement officials among Jews of the Diaspora."

Yehuda Amrani, Meshilut director of operations concludes that, "This is a serious faux pas, which was made by law enforcement officials and which infringes upon civil liberties and due process. We would like to know who gave the order to detain Mr. Lauder and what measures have been taken against following his mistake in judgment."