Ofer - Interrogation of Witness, Women
Translation: Marganit W.
The Awad Family from South Hebron Mt. attempts to till their land
See a video by the Social TV (Arabic, Hebr. subtitles)
Judge: Major Sigal Turjeman
Prosecutor: Liet. Anan Sarhan
Defense: Atty. Nery Ramati
1st accused: Said Muhammad Aliyan Awad – ID 851948331
2nd accused: Jamil Ahmad Aliyan Awad – ID 991871773
This is one of many cases where settlers from Mitzpe Yair take over Palestinian land in South Hebron Mountain. A settler named Deutsch built 20 hothouses there.
Atty. Shlomo Lecker appealed to the Supreme Court which recognized the family’s ownership of the tract called Plot 5. In spite of this The Awad family is unable to use their land without prior coordination with the Civil Administration
.
The trial is about accessibility for the family to reach their land, about the settlers’ presence there, the army’s declaration that the area is a closed military zone and about Said’s and Jamil’s Awad’s detention.
In the hearing Jamil and Said were examined, as was DCO’s Major Rami Fares (infrastructure officer at Hebron DCO).
When asked about his job, he said, “All I do is supervise the issue of law enforcement in Area C.”
Cute, right?
The hearing took all day (with intervals where the judge attended to other cases). No cross-examination of Major Fares took place. All this while, Ta’ayush activist Dr. Amiel Vardi was waiting outside to testify for the defense. He will have come again next week.
Next hearing set for 10.8.15.
Another hearing in the case of Member of Palestinian Parliament Khalida Jarrar in which no witnesses showed up.
Shosh Kahn (from Women for Women Prisoners) and I came to observe, as did family members, friends, Member of Knesset Ayman Odeh and political activists.
Judge: Lieut. Col. Zvi Heilbronn
Prosecutor: Lieut. Nathanel Haj Yaacov
Defense: Attornies Mahmoud Hassan and Sahar Frances.
Defendant: Khalida Kanaan Muhammad Jarrar, ID 946614138 - Case 3058/15
Atty. Hassan stated that the accused had been arrested on 2.4.15 and since then there has been no progress in the case. Witnesses failed to show up at the previous hearing. Nor did they show up today. Witness No. 10 who is in detention was summoned only last night, and because of the short notice, the Shabak [GSS] did not bring him. Other witnesses were summoned by phone.
The judge decided that a subpoena would be issued for Prosecution Witness No. 14.
An evidentiary hearing originally set for 9.8.15 was postponed to 10.8.15.
Bringing detainees to court inflicts much suffering on them. They are taken out of jail before dawn and spend many hours in vehicles that make stops at other jails. In view of Ms. Jarrar’s failing health, the judge asked the Prison Service to do its best to bring her directly to court.