Ofer - Stone Throwing, Remand Extension

Translation: Marganit W.

Morning and Afternoon

Shosh Kahn (from Women for Women Prisoners) and I came for the hearings of two female prisoners. There were also 2 minors, about whom I am not allowed to report.

Judge: Major Etty Adar

Prosecutor: Lieut. Dvir Wiesel

Defense: Atty. Ahmad Safiya and Atty. Ilya Theodory

Defendant: Fadaa Muhammad Hader Suleiman, ID 854274917 – Case 6510/14

Fadaa is accused of throwing objects on Rte. 443 on 26.8.14.

Three of her brothers are in jail (there were four, one was released today) and several cousins as well.

Fadaa withdrew her rejection of the indictment, so there is now a plea bargain with the following penalties:

One month in jail starting with the day of arrest; 8 months suspended sentence for 7 years and 1500 shekel fine.

Judge: Lieut.-Col. Menahem Lieberman (presiding)

Prosecutor: Lieut. Gali Katalan

Defense: Atty. Ibrahim Araj

Defendant: Amal Jihad Ali Ahmad, ID 854053840 - Case 8474/14

(In previous reports, including in the press, Amal was called Takatka)

(See earlier report)

In the press coverage it says that Amal went from Beit Fajer to Gush Etzion Juncture with a knife and tried to stab a settler. The soldiers shot her and she spent more than a month at Hadassah Hospital. She was transferred to Sharon Prison in a wheelchair, and today she uses a walker.

Amal denies the allegations, so the case was scheduled for evidentiary hearing for 3.5.15.

Amal’s parents were present, so the judge allowed the mother to address the court. The mother cried as she described her daughter’s mental problems. Her daughter was found crying several times and once she was found at Hebron Hospital, where she told security guards she had just walked from home. She was then transferred to Bethlehem Police station. The mother pleaded: Please take me instead.

Judge: Liet.-Col. Moshe Levi

Prosecutors: Captain Elhanan Dreyfus, Lieut. Yaela Zaflawi

Defense: Atty. Fadi Qawasme

Defendant: Hudifa Fawzi Muhammad Hatib, ID 851368456  Case - 1529/15

The subject was remand extension, but the case is complicated.

The defendant is charged with throwing rocks in Nov. 2012 and with conspiracy to kidnap in June 2014 after the murder of the three youths. The claim is that Prosecution Witness No. 3 approached him with a plan to kidnap soldiers. The defendant agreed but thought the time was not right.

The defendant rejects the allegations; they are all based on Witness No. 3.

The kidnapping occurred on 14.6.14. Witness No. 3 was overseas from 5.6.14 until 16.6.14 when he showed up at 19:55 at Allenby Bridge.

The defense: Is the purpose of the investigation to incriminate people or to seek the truth? The defendant claims he has an alibi, but nobody bothered to check on it. Obviously the goal is to detain my client, not to find the truth.

In reply to the prosecutor, the defense added, “The police is interested only in incriminating people not in finding the truth.

The judge admits there is a problem: Since the case is based mostly on the testimony of one witness, this testimony has to be very carefully weighed. The defense raises valid questions about the witness’s claim that he spoke to the defendant. This requires thorough interrogation of the witness.

The judge ordered to release the defendant under the following conditions:

15,000 shekel fine; 2 guarantors, one with Israeli ID  with a bail of 20,000 shekels; reporting to the nearest police station every Sunday.

Arraignment hearing is scheduled for 25.2.15.