Palestinian Human Rights Defender Issa Amro convicted by Israeli military court

 

 An Israeli military court on Wednesday convicted  Palestinian rights activist Issa Amro of offences in the occupied West Bank, his lawyer said. Amro was convicted on three counts of protesting without a permit, two counts of obstructing security forces and one count of assault. his lawyer said,  Amro denied the charges,

Amro denied the charges, which included protesting without a permit, obstructing Israeli soldiers’ activities in the flashpoint city of Hebron and assaulting a Jewish settler.

The charges date back to 2010, according to a statement put out by his supporters, which said sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 8. It was not clear what kind of sentence he might receive.

The longtime Palestinian activist and organizer in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron. Issa  is a prominent human rights defender who has been recognized by the European Union and the United Nations,  and is a founding member of many non-violent organisations in Hebron who work peacefully against Israeli occupation of the West Bank. Amongst these organisations include the the Hebron branch of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), https://palsolidarity.org/  and Youth Against Settlements, a group that organizes non violent demonstrations and direct actions against the violent  settler encampments that are protected by heavily armed soldiers who frequently harass Palestinian residents in the city. He is also the founder of ‘Humans of Hebron’,http://humansofhebron.weebly.com/ which seeks to humanise the Palestinians of his city who have endured 53years living under Israel’s military boot.

Every year, Youth Against Settlements organizes a week of activities calling to open Shuhada Street. Once the city’s main commercial strip, Shuhada Street was closed off to Palestinians in 1994.Issa  inspired by the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi who he has been compared to and that of  Martin Luther King,  advocating civil disobedience and non-violent and pro-active measures to document and protest against the Israeli occupation in Hebron and the West Bank. 

Amro has been identified increasingly over the years as a targeted activist, and  he is frequently detained, arrested, and harassed for his work in the occupied territories.often after confrontations with settlers in which he says he was attacked and beaten. The Palestinian Authority detained him for a week in 2017 over a Facebook post critical of President Mahmoud Abbas .

Hundreds of hard-line Jewish settlers live in the heart of Hebron in enclaves guarded by Israeli troops. The city has a population of over 200,000 Palestinians, and there is a long history of tensions between the two communities.

 Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 war, and the Palestinians want it to form the main part of a future state. Most countries view the presence of nearly a half million Jewish settlers in the West Bank as a violation of international law and an obstacle to peace. Israel disputes this, citing biblical and historical connections to the territory, as well as security needs.

Amro's supporters say the charges are linked to his participation in various peaceful protests over the years. They said the assault charge stems from a previously closed case in 2010 in which Amro allegedly shoved someone during a scuffle in which he said he was assaulted.

Amnesty International said in a statement ahead of Wednesday's hearing that Amro faced “politically motivated charges for his peaceful activism against Israel’s military occupation and illegal settlements.

Amnesty also said it would consider Amro a "prisoner of conscience" if he was convicted, and has expressed fears that Amro's  conviction would lead to further suppression of Palestinian  voices against the occupation. 

Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 war, and the Palestinians want it to form the main part of a future state. The Palestinians view the presence of nearly a half million Jewish settlers in the West Bank as a violation of international law and an obstacle to peace.

“It doesn’t make sense to punish someone for non-violent resistance,” Amro told Reuters. “The Israeli military system exists only to oppress Palestinians and restrict freedom of speech.”

Amro was convicted on six of 18 charges against him, in incidents that occurred between 2010 and 2016, his lawyer, Gaby Lasky, said.

Lasky said it was hard to predict whether Amro would face prison time, but that a Palestinian in a similar case received a 10-month term.

Amro said his next Palestinian court hearing is on January 20.

Most countries view settlements Israel built on West Bank land captured in a 1967 war as illegal. Israel disputes this, citing biblical and historical connections to the territory, as well as security needs.

 Issa is not a criminal but a human rights defender who uses principles of non-violence that can only be commended. He and  all other  human rights defenders in the Occupied Palestinian Territories I believe should be able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities, including through the exercise of their right to free assembly, without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions.  

 Amro is one of dozens of leaders across the West Bank and East Jerusalem who are using nonviolent tactics, civil disobedience, and direct action to challenge Israel's occupation. The work of these activists has gone nearly unrecognized,  but for years he and others have been courageously  carrying on with this work regardless of the consequences. Currently it seems that Issa is being used as an example to instill fear in other activists who resist the occupation. 

Solidarity with Issa and all others put under similar situation, His case another example of widespread targetting of human rights activists using old and exaggerated charges in a military court system whose conviction for Palestinians  is over 99%,