The Israeli Supreme Court recommends ending the arrest of a parliament member and a former Jerusalem Minister
The Israeli Supreme court held a session on Wednesday to consider the objection submitted by the parliament member Mohammad Totah and the former Jerusalem Minister Khaled Abu Arafeh regarding the extension of their arrest and charging them with illegally entering Jerusalem after the Israeli authorities deprived them from their Jerusalemite ID and the right of residence; they also accused them of being a part in the leadership of Hamas movement. Amjad Abu Asab, head of Jerusalemite detainees and prisoners families committee, said that both lawyers Usama Sa’di and Fadi Qawasmi defended Abu Arafeh and Totah, and at the end of the session the court recommended to release them and that the 24 months they stayed in prison were enough and then gave the general prosecution 7 days to respond to the decision; note that they are serving a 30-month sentence in prison. Abu Asab explained that Totah and the former prisoner were kidnapped by the Special Forces on 23/01/2012 from inside the Red Cross headquarters in Jerusalem after they protested in mid 2010 against the Israeli decision to isolate them from the city and deprive them from their residency under the pretext of “lack of loyalty to the occupation’s authority.” A Special Israeli Force raided the tent three months before kidnapping them and arrested Member of Parliament (MP) Mohammad Aton and isolated him to the city of Ramallah which came a short while after the arrest of MP Mohammad Abu Ter and isolating him as well. Abu Asab pointed out that the Jerusalem MP, Totah, is a former prisoner who was detained for several years in the Israeli prisons and the same for the former Jerusalemite Minister who was also arrested several times and went under interrogation sessions inside the Israeli prisons.
