Posted on 02/07/2004 2:04:12 PM PST by yonif
The Palestinian Authority on Saturday pressed charges against four Palestinians accused of involvement in an attack on a US diplomatic vehicle in the northern Gaza Strip on October 15.
Three Americans were killed and another seriously injured when a roadside bomb was detonated by remote control near their vehicle.
The four are Bashir Abu Laban, 41, Muhammed Asaliyeh, 26, Ahmed Safi, 24, and Naim Abu Ful, 43. They were arrested by the PA Preventative Security Force shortly after the attack. PA security officials said they belonged to The Popular Resistance Committees – the only group that had claimed responsibility for the bombing.
The Popular Resistance Committees, an alliance of various Palestinian factions including Hamas, Fatah, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, later withdrew its claim of responsibility.
Palestinian journalists in Gaza City said they were surprised on Saturday morning to receive a message from the PA announcing the beginning of the trial of the four activists before a military court. "Until now we have been told that the security forces were still searching for the culprits," said one journalist. "It's clear this is a play intended to appease the Americans."
The hastily convened trial was called days after the US complained that the PA had not cooperated fully in its investigation into the bombing of the convoy. PA National Security advisor Jibril Rajoub accused the US of "blackmailing" the PA by pressurizing it into pursuing the investigation and threatening to stop American financial aid to the Palestinians.
The three-judge panel, headed by Basel al-Jafarawi, convened in the PA police headquarters. "We are not criminals. We did not do anything," shouted two of the defendants to reporters at the start of the trial.
Military prosecutor Jamal Shamiyeh told the court that the defendants were accused of possessing explosive devices and planting them on a main road in order to detonate them against IDF tanks.
The judges said they could not understand why the defendants were brought before a military court when the charges against them are classified as "criminal." The judges also expressed their surprise that no lawyers were representing the accused.
The defendants told the court that they were surprised by the decision to put them on trial. Muhammed Safi said he and his friends were informed about the trial only a few hours earlier. "Our families don't know about this decision," he added.
Another defendant, Ahmed Safi, said: "Before we talk about the issue of the lawyers, we want to know why we are here. We were tortured by the Preventative Security interrogators for no reason."
The court decided to postpone the hearing until February 29 to allow the defendants to hire lawyers and inform their families about the trial.
The US embassy in Tel Aviv declined to comment on the trial. A US diplomatic source said US officials had not received advance warning of the trial or been given any details on the defendants alleged involvement in the attack.
On Thursday the US advertised a $5 million reward for information leading to the capture of the killers in Palestinian newspapers. After the ads appeared in the newspapers, PA Chairman Yasser Arafat instructed the PA security forces to step up their efforts to arrest the perpetrators and bring them to trial.
I wouldn't be suprised if they are released soon after being convicted, through their revolving jail policy.
Pali's doing what they do best.... terror.
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