Israeli peace activist jailed for meeting Palestinian militants
-24/12/05
An Israeli w
Israeli peace activist jailed for meeting Palestinian militants
-24/12/05
An Israeli woman who grew up as a Likud supporter but has come to question her own governmentís treatment of Palestinians has been jailed for treason after meeting a militant group associated with suicide attacks on Jewish people.
Tali Fahima, aged 29, is expected to serve 10 months of a three year sentence after being forced into a plea bargain where she admitted to being ìa foreign agentî and passing on ìsecret informationî, charges which her supporters say are nonsense.
Ms Fahima was arrested by Shin Bet the Israeli security services, after several visits to Jenin refugee camp.
She met with Zakaria Zubeidi, leader of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, which has organised a number of suicide attacks against Israelis.
The Israeli defence minister says that the meeting amount to ìplanning a terrorist attackî.
But Ms Fahima explains that her motive was not to condone such attacks, but to try to talk face-to-face about why they happen and what drives people to such desperate and cruel methods.
She is not associated with any political group, but has one support from those seeking a peaceful and just accommodation between Israel and Palestine.
Ms Fahimaís backers say that the reason for her prosecution is the determination of hardliners in the Israeli government to stop dialogue, and to refuse any attempts to explain suicide attacks other than as irrational acts of anti-Jewish hatred.
They say that the militantsí targeting civilians is inexcusable, but that the Israeli government cannot escape responsibility for its own targeted killings, house demolitions and acts of repression and occupation either.
[Also on Ekklesia: Iraqi, Muslim and Palestinian support for peace hostages grows; Muslims urge release of Christian peacemakers missing in Iraq; peacemakers to monitor Palestinian elections; Bush criticised for claiming God made him go to war; Christian peace activists arrive in Israel; Pope becomes first citizen of Bethlehem; Radical Christian peacemakers arrive in Palestine and Israel; Dozens of Israeli peace activists arrested]
Israeli peace activist jailed for meeting Palestinian militants
-24/12/05
An Israeli woman who grew up as a Likud supporter but has come to question her own government’s treatment of Palestinians has been jailed for treason after meeting a militant group associated with suicide attacks on Jewish people.
Tali Fahima, aged 29, is expected to serve 10 months of a three year sentence after being forced into a plea bargain where she admitted to being ‘a foreign agent’ and passing on ‘secret information’, charges which her supporters say are nonsense.
Ms Fahima was arrested by Shin Bet the Israeli security services, after several visits to Jenin refugee camp.
She met with Zakaria Zubeidi, leader of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, which has organised a number of suicide attacks against Israelis.
The Israeli defence minister says that the meeting amount to ‘planning a terrorist attack’.
But Ms Fahima explains that her motive was not to condone such attacks, but to try to talk face-to-face about why they happen and what drives people to such desperate and cruel methods.
She is not associated with any political group, but has one support from those seeking a peaceful and just accommodation between Israel and Palestine.
Ms Fahima’s backers say that the reason for her prosecution is the determination of hardliners in the Israeli government to stop dialogue, and to refuse any attempts to explain suicide attacks other than as irrational acts of anti-Jewish hatred.
They say that the militants’ targeting civilians is inexcusable, but that the Israeli government cannot escape responsibility for its own targeted killings, house demolitions and acts of repression and occupation either.
[Also on Ekklesia: Iraqi, Muslim and Palestinian support for peace hostages grows; Muslims urge release of Christian peacemakers missing in Iraq; peacemakers to monitor Palestinian elections; Bush criticised for claiming God made him go to war; Christian peace activists arrive in Israel; Pope becomes first citizen of Bethlehem; Radical Christian peacemakers arrive in Palestine and Israel; Dozens of Israeli peace activists arrested]