Israel Lawlessly Indicts MK Sa'id Naffa - by Stephen Lendman
Israel has contempt for international law and its own.
Israel reveals its rogue credentials daily. In mid-July 2010, its Knesset stripped MK Hanin Zoabi of key parliamentary rights and privileges for participating in the May 2010 Freedom Flotilla bringing vital aid to Gaza.
Since then, she's been vilified, threatened, and may be prevented from standing for reelection. Hard-liners call her a "traitor."
Arab MKs are accustomed to marginalization, threats, abuse, and lawless actions against them.
In November 2009, Hadash party chairman Mohammed Barakeh was bogusly indicted for allegedly assaulting a police officer during an anti-Separation Wall rally. Previous alleged incidents between 2005 and 2007 were included in charges against him.
The Adalah Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights said indicting him criminalized "legitimate political activities (in an attempt) to harm the reputation and status of an Arab leader."
Barakeh called charges against him false, saying "The ones that are being violent and abusing freedom of demonstration and of speech are the police and security establishment."He added that his indictment "reek(ed) of politics. It's not a personal (attack) but an attempt to terrorize and deter anyone wishing to exercise his democratic right to resist government policy."
Balad party MK Said Naffa's also targeted. On December 26, 2011, Israeli Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein indicted him for "illegally traveling to an enemy country" and assisting in organizing a visit for others.
At issue is Israel's 1948 Emergency Regulations (Foreign Travel) Ordinance. It never should have been passed in the first place. It's an affront to democratic rights and should be rescinded.
Other charges included "contact with a foreign agent." Allegedly it was for meeting with Talal Naji, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) deputy director-general. In addition, Naffa was accused of planning to meet Khaled Mashal, Hamas political bureau head. Israel spuriously calls them "terrorist organization" leaders.
In September 2007, Naffa went to Syria with about 300 Druze clerics and Israeli social activists. It was a holy pilgrimage, unrelated to politics.
His lawyer, Saud Ghanim said:
"The religious leaders' visit to Syria was purely for religious and humanitarian reasons. Even the Israeli Supreme Court regards the Israeli law that prevents these (type) visits as arbitrary. Therefore, the filing of an indictment in this regard is discriminatory, and the real problem is with the law and not the actual visit."
