Ofer - House Arrest, Remand Extension
Translation: Marganit W.
The story of a Palestinian family from South Hebron Mountain, near Mitzpe Yair. The court accepted their claim of ownership of the land and since then they have been tilling their fields with a horse and a donkey.
Thus began my previous report of the case of Ismail and Saber Adara, father and son, who one day got fed up with the settlers’ brutality and decided to stand up to the aggression and violence and defend themselves.
Today the court handed down the sentence.
Justice Major Meir Vigisser read parts of the sentence:
“There is agreement that the settlers created a provocation and caused escalation, but this does not justify the defendants’ violence; they could have and should have waited for security forces”.
We have seen many reports by Ta’ayush members, who for years have been accompanying the Palestinians of South Hebron Mountain, and we know what “protection” the Palestinians receive from the security forces. Many films show soldiers driving away the Jewish activists.
The defendants are released on bail, but they may yet get prison sentence.
At the next hearing, on 17.4.16, the court will hear arguments for penalty.
Judge: Major Meir Vigisser
Prosecutor: Eli Neumann
Defense: Atty. Tareq Bargout
Defendents:
Wafaa Muhammad Warad Jahalin, ID 852135326 - Case 2926/16
Inas Sa’id Abdullah Alamarna – ID 921593307
Wafaa and Inas are two women from Abu Dis who ran away from home and reached Zeytim Checkpoint intending to get arrested.
Today a document was presented in court detailing objects in Wafaa’s possessions, including gold jewelry and a cell phone with information explaining the background to the women’s actions.
Overruling the prosecution’s motion, the judge instructed the welfare coordinator at the Civil Administration
to present (within a week) a report on the socio-economic situation of the detainees.
Atty. Bargout reported that Wafaa’s family had rented an apartment in Jericho, and asked the court to send them there instead of detention. Wafaa’s mother undertook to watch them all the time.
The request was rejected and remand extension was ordered for 9 additional days.
Next hearing set for 4.4.16.
Several remand extensions of minors took place today. As always, talking to the parents was heartbreaking.
One father told of his 13.5-year old daughter who has mental issues and is seen by mental health professionals. She showed up at the checkpoint with a knife. Luckily, she was not shot. The father was not sure whether she was held at Sharon Prison, since when she was brought there last week, there was no room for her and she was transferred somewhere else. It turns out she is at Sharon after all, with 16 other minors, some of whom were injured by the soldiers when they were arrested.