Ahmad Al-Manasra has been in Israeli prison since age 13, and suffers from prison-related mental illness. A hearing to review the now 21-year-old Manasra’s case is being held today.
New report from UK charity War on Want shows how integral Israel’s military court system is in controlling Palestinian lives. The system is apartheid in nature and violates international law.
The Israeli military court announced today its guilty verdict against Palestinian Issa Amro, in what human rights advocates have called a “campaign of persecution” against a nonviolent community organizer.
Issa Amro has been resisting Israel’s efforts to take over the Palestinian city of Hebron since 2003. A verdict is imminent in the sham trial against him, and he needs to know he’s not alone. Use this form to contact Congress – they voted to give Israel over $10 million per day; they must now tell Israel to cease its wrongdoing and drop all charges against Amro…
Israeli military courts not only have a 99% conviction rate when it comes to Palestinian prisoners, but in many cases they also impose exorbitant fines and unreasonable prison sentences. Last month, one Palestinian was convicted of throwing a stone at security forces from an unknown distance. The stone did not hit anyone and caused no damage. He was sentenced to six months and a day in prison and fined 2,000 shekels (about $500).
Israel’s Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan has announced plans to “worsen” conditions for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, including rationing water supplies and reducing the number of family visits.
As Israel considers adopting the death sentence for Palestinians, it is worth recalling that under occupation, Palestinians already face harsh injustice and that such a law would be illegal according to international law. The examples of Elor Azaria’s 9-month prison term for killing an unarmed, injured Palestinian at point-blank range, and Ahed Tamimi’s 8-month sentence for slapping an IDF soldier, indicate that the Israeli “justice” system is already severely lopsided.
Two young Palestinian men, Abdul-Khaliq Burnat and Mohammed Tamimi, had their day in (Israeli military) court last weekend. They have much in common: they both come from prominent nonviolent activist families, both are victims – along with their families and entire towns – of collective punishment, and it looks like neither young man will be going home anytime soon.