P.A. Prepares To Execute 15 Citizens

2005-03-09

IsraelNationalNews.com

Editor: Hillel Fendel

The Palestinian Authority has sentenced 15 Arabs to death on charges of having collaborated with Israel. Their sentences will be carried out this month - unless the Israel Law Center has its way.

Asked about this looming blow to the interests of both Israel and human ethics, Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz surprised reporters by ignoring the question. At a press conference last night following his meeting with PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, Arutz-7's Moshe Priel asked Mofaz if Israel is demanding that Abbas pardon the 15. Priel reports that to the astonishment of the reporters in attendance, Mofaz totally ignored the issue and delivered a small lecture on the future relations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Abu Mazen, as well, ignored the question.

The 15 were sentenced to death after having passed information to Israel about arch-terrorists who were later killed by Israel.

Abbas [Abu Mazen] announced several weeks ago that he would sign execution decrees for three accused collaborators if Moslem religious authorities agreed that they should be killed. Several days ago, Israel Law Center director Attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner told Arutz-7, the anticipated ruling was handed down by the Mufti of Jerusalem, Sheikh Akrameh Sabri - but suddenly the list had grown from 3 collaborators to 15.

Darshan-Leitner said, "Together with [former refusenik] Ida Nudel, we sent a letter on Monday to Prime Minister Sharon demanding that he take immediate steps to ensure that these executions are not carried out. He should threaten not to release more prisoners, and he must turn to the US and Europe, as well as donor nations, and he must involve the United Nations as well. And if all this doesn't work, then we even recommended that he even resort to military action to stop these executions."

Darshan-Leitner said that if Sharon does not respond to the letter by the end of the week, "we will turn to the Supreme Court." She said that in 2002, Israel proved that it could influence the Palestinian Authority: "We turned to the Shabak [General Security Service], and they turned to the Palestinian Authority, and the result was that the person in question was not executed, but rather received a sentence of 40 years at hard labor. This shows that we can succeed if we try."

Darshan-Leitner summed up: "These people are our front in this war, how can we abandon them to the dogs?"

Source: IMRA – Independent Media Review and Analysis