Palestinian aid worker Mohammad el-Halabi’s conviction by an Israeli court last year made headlines. His lawyer, Maher Hanna, writes about all that went wrong during the trial
Palestinian demonstrators take part in a protest in solidarity with Mohammad El Halabi, World Vision's manager of operations in Gaza, organised by foundations and societies benefiting from World Vision in Gaza City / Photo: Reuters
I have been a lawyer in Israel for almost 25 years, representing many defendants, Israelis and Arabs alike, in Israel’s court system. I have seen firsthand how, for Palestinians, a fair trial is at best a highly remote or distant possibility. As Halabi’s defence attorney, I also saw how such a fair trial for Palestinians is flat-out impossible.
For example, the Israeli prosecutors routinely hid information, that they were using to frame el-Halabi. In a fair trial, I’d be able to see all evidence without any complications, in line with the right of the defence to review what the prosecution submits in a court against the accused. He was charged with diverting funds to Hamas while working with World Vision. Israeli investigators confiscated all the records and documents related to various projects of the organisation. They also took custody of the NGO’s bank accounts and related records concerning its general and specific activity in Gaza.
Moreover, the defence was also denied a copy of the third part. I was only allowed to examine a copy of this evidence in the presence of two investigators, preventing me from copying anything for the record.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Gunbattle in Jenin: 3 Palestinians killed, 29 others wounded in Israeli raid in West BankIsraeli troops have killed 3 Palestinians, including a minor, and wounded at least 29 others during a massive gunbattle with militants in the streets of the occupied West Bank city of Jenin. That's according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The fighting was the latest in more than a year of violence that has wracked the West Bank. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the incident. Israel and the Palestinians have been gripped by months of violence, focused mainly in the West Bank, where some 120 Palestinians have been killed this year. The city of Jenin has been a hotbed of Palestinian militancy.
Read more »
Huge firefight erupts as Israeli forces raid Jenin, 3 Palestinians dead | CNNA huge firefight erupted between Israeli military forces and Palestinian militants in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin Monday, leaving at least three Palestinians dead, authorities said.
Read more »
Gunbattle in Jenin: 3 Palestinians killed, 29 others wounded in Israeli raid in West BankIsraeli helicopter gunships struck targets Monday in the occupied West Bank as a gunbattle raged in the city of Jenin between Israeli troops and militants, killing three Palestinians, including a 15-year-old boy, officials said.
Read more »
Israeli troops, backed by helicopter, kill 3 Palestinians in clashIsraeli commandos killed three Palestinians, including a teenager, during an unusually fierce clash in the occupied West Bank on Monday in which a troop transport was disabled by a bomb and a military helicopter carried out a rare strike.
Read more »
At Least 4 Palestinians Killed During Gunfight in West BankIsrael used air strikes during fighting in the West Bank that left at least four Palestinians dead, prompting escalatory rhetoric from Palestinian and Israeli officials
Read more »
Israeli government gives settler minister control over West Bank settlement planningIsrael's government on Sunday granted a pro-settlement firebrand authority over planning in the occupied West Bank and lifted red tape on the settlement housing approval process, Israeli media reported.
Read more »