Israel jails Palestinian peace activist

Israel jails a Palestinian peace activist on charges of "illegal arms possession" and inciting stone-throwers.

The charges against Abdallah Abu Rahme, 39, the coordinator of the Bil'in Popular Committee, relates largely to a protest exhibition he had made out of spent tear-gas canisters and plastic-coated rubber bullets, shot by Israeli soldiers, assembling them to form a large peace sign.

Israeli soldiers had aimed those canisters and bullets at unarmed Palestinian demonstrators protesting Israel's illegal apartheid wall that separates Bil'in villagers from their agricultural lands.

Bil'in, a small village near Ramallah, has lost about half of its agricultural lands due to the illegal wall, depriving farmers of their livelihoods.

The Israelis also allege that Abu Rahme was in possession of M-16 bullets.

On hearing the charges, Abu Rahme's Israeli lawyer Gaby Lasky asked, "What's next? Charging protesters money for the bullets shot at them?"

"We have evidence to challenge the Israel Defense Force's (IDF) version of events. A number of Palestinian youngsters were pressured by the military into making false confessions after they were arrested at nighttime, blindfolded and handcuffed," Lasky said.

Several prominent Palestinian peace activists have recently been arrested and jailed for similar acts.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=116496§ionid=351020202.