Palestinian activist’s jail term is extended

AFP/Jerusalem

Abu Rahma was one of the chief organisers of weekly demonstrations in the West Bank town of Bilin

An Israeli military court yesterday extended the jail term of a Palestinian activist who has already served over a year in prison for organising protests against Israel’s security barrier.

The Ofer military court handed down a 16-month sentence against Abdullah Abu Rahma, who has already spent 13 months and one day behind bars for organising and participating in West Bank protests against the controversial barrier.

Abu Rahma’s lawyer Gaby Laskey said she expected her client to serve two of the extra three months in prison, and the last month on administrative release, meaning he risks going back to jail if he takes part in or organises any demonstrations.

He was arrested in December 2009, and convicted eight months later of incitement and organising illegal demonstrations but acquitted on charges of stone-throwing and weapons possession for exhibiting spent tear-gas canisters fired by Israeli troops.

His conviction prompted human rights groups and officials including European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton to express concern.

In October, after he had spent 10 months in jail, a military court handed down a one-year sentence.

A month later, as Abu Rahma was due to be released, Israel’s military prosecutor appealed the sentence as too lenient, arguing he "risked resuming his illegal activities” if freed.

The military refused to release Abu Rahma while the appeal was being considered, and it was no surprise his jail term was extended, Laskey said.

"When dealing with military courts, we’re dealing also with political questions of how to continue the occupation, not with justice,” the lawyer said.

"I never thought that our appeal would be accepted, so we knew the court was going to give him a harsh sentence. We just didn’t know how much to expect.”

Abu Rahma was one of the chief organisers of weekly demonstrations in the West Bank town of Bilin that are regularly attended by scores of Palestinian, Israeli and foreign activists.

The protests are billed as non-violent though Palestinian youths often hurl stones at Israeli troops, who often respond with teargas and rubber bullets.

Abu Rahma’s relative, Jawaher Abu Rahma, died on early on New Year’s Day after inhaling massive amounts of teargas at a protest in Bilin a day earlier, Palestinian officials said, in a charge the Israeli military has rejected.

Also yesterday, veteran Israeli peace activist Jonathan Pollack was jailed for three months for participating in a bicycle rally in Tel Aviv to protest against Israel’s blockade on the Gaza Strip.

Pollack has also been involved in co-ordinating protests against the separation barrier in Bilin.