Israel/Palestine: HRW denounces Israeli military court system amid trial of Palestinian activists

July 16, 2017

International NGO Human Rights Watch has reiterated its condemnation of the Israeli military court system, amid the ongoing trial of two Palestinian human rights defenders facing charges related to their activism.

Issa Amro, founder of the Hebron-based group Youth Against Settlements, and Hebron-based lawyer Farid al-Atrash, who is the head of the southern division of Palestinian statutory watchdog Independent Commission of Human Rights, were both arrested for participating in a peaceful protest in February 2016.

They were later charged with “demonstrating without license,” “entering a closed military zone,” “incitement,” and “obstructing an officer.”

The march in question commemorated the 22 years since extremist American-born Israeli settler Baruch Goldstein opened fire on Muslim Palestinian worshipers, killing 29 and injuring more than 120 in Hebron’s Ibrahimi Mosque in 1994.

The demonstration also called for the reopening of al-Shuhada street, which was shut down soon after the massacre, and called for the removal of discriminatory restrictions on movement placed on Palestinians in the city.

Al-Atrash has vehemently denied charges claiming he attacked Israeli soldiers, with video footage of the arrest showing him standing and holding a poster peacefully in front of Israeli soldiers when he was pushed, dragged, and then violently arrested by a number of soldiers.

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https://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=778129

http://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-military-trial-begins-for-prominent-palestinian-activist/

https://in.news.yahoo.com/israel-begins-trial-against-palestinian-031629884.html

Israel/Palestine: On 34th day, Muhammad Allan ends hunger strike in Israeli prison

July 12, 2017

After completing at least 33 days on hunger strike, imprisoned Palestinian lawyer Muhammad Allan suspended his hunger strike on Tuesday.

Local reports said Allan ended the hunger strike after he reached a deal with the Israel Prison service (IPS) to end his strike.

In response to a request for comment Wednesday, an IPS spokesperson only confirmed that Allan was no longer on hunger strike but provided no other details regarding the reported agreement.

Allan, a lawyer from the Nablus-area village of Einabus in the northern occupied West Bank, had been released from prison in November 2015 after a year-long stint in administrative detention — Israel’s widely condemned policy of internment without charge or trial — during which time he carried out a grueling 66-day hunger strike in protest of his detention.

However, Allan was redetained by Israeli forces on June 8 and began his hunger strike that same day.

He was reportedly placed in solitary confinement 10 days into his strike.

An Israeli military court charged Allan with “incitement” on social media and for attending demonstrations in support of Palestinian prisoners, prompting his father to say at the time that Israeli forces “have been after his son to detain him and take revenge on him since the day he was released last year from administrative detention.”

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http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=778030

http://www.lrwc.org/israel-immediately-release-lawyer-muhammed-allan/

Israel/Palestine: Group calls for Muhammad Allan’s release on 20th day of hunger strike

June 28, 2017

As Muhammad Allan entered his 20th day on hunger strike in Israeli custody on Wednesday, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Center for Studies called on Palestinians and international groups to do more to support the Palestinian prisoner.

The head of the center, Rafaat Hamdouna, called for humanitarian organizations, Palestinian factions, and media to increase pressure on Israel to obtain Allan’s release.

Allan, a lawyer from the Nablus-area village of Einabus in the northern occupied West Bank, had been released from prison in November 2015 after a year-long stint in administrative detention — Israel’s widely condemned policy of internment without charge or trial — during which time he carried out a grueling 66-day hunger strike in protest of his detention.

However, Allan was redetained by Israeli forces on June 8 and began his hunger strike that same day.

He was reportedly placed in solitary confinement 10 days into his strike.

An Israeli military court charged Allan with “incitement” on social media, prompting his father to say at the time that Israeli forces “have been after his son to detain him and take revenge on him since the day he was released last year from administrative detention.”

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https://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=777837

http://samidoun.net/2017/06/re-arrested-palestinian-lawyer-muhammad-allan-isolated-on-tenth-day-of-hunger-strike/

http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=777686

http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=777657

Palestine/Israel: Former hunger-striking prisoner continues new strike in protest of re-detention

June 16, 2017

Palestinian prisoner and lawyer Muhammad Allan entered the eighth day of a hunger strike in Israeli jail on Thursday, in protest of his recent re-detention by Israeli forces, according to the al-Quds news website.

Al-Quds quoted the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society as saying that Allan launched his strike on June 8, the day he was detained from his home in the Nablus-area village of Einabus during a predawn raid, adding that a court session was held Thursday to extend Allan’s detention.Allan’s father, according to al-Quds, said an Israeli military court charged his son with “incitement” on Facebook, saying that that Israeli forces “have been after his son to detain him and take revenge on him since the day he was released last year from administrative detention.”

Allan was released from prison in November 2015 after a year-long stint in administrative detention — Israel’s widely-condemned policy of internment without charge or trial — during which time he endured a grueling 66-day hunger strike in protest of his detention.

Israeli forces detained at least 400 Palestinians in less than a year over social media activity, and 400 others were detained for the same reason by the Palestinian Authority through its widely condemned policy of security coordination with Israel, Israeli news daily Haaretz reported in April.

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https://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=777657

https://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=777544

Israel: Israeli Mafia Boss Arrested on Suspicion of Having Hand in Lawyer’s Murder

May 24, 2017

A prominent crime-syndicate figure was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of being involved in the 2008 assassination of attorney Yoram Hacham, who was killed by a car bomb in Tel Aviv.
Two other suspects were also arrested on Wednesday in connection with the investigation, whose details have been placed under a gag order. The Rishon Letzion Magistrate’s Court released for publication only that the investigation has recently been reopened following new evidence that has come to light.
In June 2015 crime boss Asi Abutbul was arrested on suspicion of being involved in the mafia-style execution, following information tying him and his brother Francois to the case. But the evidence was insufficient to proceed with the investigation, Abutbul was released and the police Lahav 433 unit, known as the “Israeli FBI,” stopped dealing with the case.

Hacham was a top lawyer who represented a number of underworld figures, including Abutbul, who was convicted in the last case in which Hacham represented him.

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http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.791754

https://newstral.com/en/article/en/1065902187/israeli-mafia-boss-arrested-on-suspicion-of-having-hand-in-lawyer-s-murder

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/23011

http://fr.timesofisrael.com/un-baron-de-la-mafia-israelienne-arrete-pour-le-meurtre-de-son-avocat-en-2008/ (FRANCAIS)

Israel: Israeli human rights lawyer in detention without defence or trial, a victim of judicial abuse

May 18, 2017

An Israeli human rights lawyer who for over seven years wrote to the United Nations requesting help for children and families damaged by Israeli judicial corruption is now himself a victim of illegal arrest and detention.

Zvi Zer’s impending trial in September this year will be a field day for public officials, including judges and social workers, who have been exposed by two bloggers and by Mr Zer.

On 27 February Israeli police carried out a wave of arrests of activists, some of whom were interrogated and subsequently detained, while others were put under house arrest and had limitations imposed on their use of the internet.

Of those who were detained, three were kept in detention – two bloggers and the human rights lawyer, Mr Zer, described in the Israeli mainstream media as “a cyber terror gang”. The initial flurry of media attention showed that, in the eyes of the elite, the prisoners were already guilty.

After 40 days of interrogations, 91 charges were lodged against the activists, who are accused of insulting public officials. Mr Zer faces 41 charges of conspiracy with the bloggers. The decision was made to hold the prisoners in detention until the end of proceedings – January 2018.

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http://www.redressonline.com/2017/05/israeli-human-rights-lawyer-in-detention-without-defence-or-trial-a-victim-of-judicial-abuse/

Palestine/Israel: CASE HISTORY: MOHAMMED KHATIB

May 3, 2017

On 7 May 2017, human rights defender, Mohammed Khatib, will appear before an Israeli Military Court after three and half years of lengthy court proceedings following his participation in peaceful demonstrations at Beit Il checkpoint, in the village of Bettin, on 7 March 2013. The human rights defender is facing three charges of entering a closed military zone, participating in an illegal demonstration, and disturbing the soldiers.

The upcoming military trial of the human rights defender will take place on 7 May 2017 in Ofer military court. According to Israeli and Palestinian human rights organisations, the conviction rate of Israeli military courts has ranged from ninety to ninety-nine percent in recent years.

Mohammed Khatib has previously been arrested and detained by Israeli forces on several occasions on account of his participation in peaceful demonstrations. On 20 January 2017, Israeli forces arrested Mohammed Khatib while he attended his colleagues’ military hearing for participation in a peaceful demonstration. He was held in Ofer prison for four days and was also accused of participating in an “illegal protest” against Israel’s illegal annexation of Palestinian land in Jerusalem. In 2014, he was detained for participating in a tree-planting project in Turmusaya. All these charges against the human rights defender are still pending and he is expected to have to stand trial for them in the future.

Front Line Defenders condemns the continued judicial harassment of human rights defender, Mohammed Khatib, as it believes it to be solely related to his legitimate and peaceful human rights activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Front Line Defenders further condemns the pattern of intimidation, harassment and prosecution of human rights defenders by the Israeli occupation forces.

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https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/case-history-mohammed-khatib

https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/mohammed-khatib-arrested

http://imemc.org/article/mohammad-al-khatib-nominated-for-front-line-defenders-award/

https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/official-christian-charity-tortured-israel-lawyer-says