The Magnes Zionist writes about yet another Israeli jailing of a “Palestinian Gandhi“.
Protesting the occupation in the West Bank is illegal in the wonderful democracy known as the Jewish state:
So what were the charges against Abdallah Abu Rahmah, the internationally-known organizer of the Bil’in protest, that stuck? Exonerated of stone-throwing and weapons possession (a charge that even John Stewart in his wildest satire could not have concocted), he was convicted for “incitement” and “organizing illegal demonstrations.”
As the statement below reports, incitement is defined, under Israel military law, as “the attempt, verbally or otherwise, to influence public opinion in the Area in a way that may disturb the public peace or public order.” Forget for a moment that the evidence was gathered from minors arrested in the middle of the night. Since any protest against the expropriation of land in the Occupied Territories (by Arabs; Jewish settlers, under the system of Hafradah, are not tried in military courts) can be interpreted as IPSO FACTO disturbing the public peace or public order (what public peace or public order? These protests are in Palestinian villages), the law, in effect, bans all Palestinian protest. And if you organize a non-violent protest, you can sit in jail for up to ten years.