A Palestinian security court sentenced leading Hamas activist Mahmoud Abu Hannoud to 12 years in prison in a surprise closed-door session late Friday, reported AFP, quoting court officials.
Abu Hannoud was convicted of belonging to an armed group, weapons possession and forming a movement that tried to replace Palestinian President's Yasser Arafat's self-rule Palestinian Authority.
"There were two charges against Abu Hannoud related to Palestinian security," Khaled Al Kidra, general prosecutor of Palestinian state security courts, told AFP.
"The first was the forming of an armed cell and the possession of weapons, the second was forming another authority within an existing authority," he added.
The Palestinians, who are not obligated to hand over Abu Hannoud to Israel, said Monday they would try him, but had repeatedly said that no date had yet been set for the hearing.
Hannoud's arrest followed the capture by Palestinian police in May of Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif who was at the top of Israel's most wanted list.
State security courts have handed down long prison terms to Hamas activists, but never death sentences.
Palestinian police arrested Abu Hannoud, one of the leaders of Ezzedin al-Kassam, the clandestine armed branch of Hamas, after he escaped a botched Israeli army raid that left three of its soldiers dead and Israel asking itself what went wrong, said the agency.
Abu Hannoud fled wounded after a gunfight with an elite army unit in the West Bank village of Assira Al-Shamaliyah near Nablus late Saturday.
The Israeli army confirmed Thursday that the three soldiers were gunned down by "friendly fire" during the botched raid.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported that Husam Arafat, the spokesman for about 100 lawyers who have volunteered to defend Abu Hannoud, rejected the verdict handed down by the security court less than three hours after the trial began.
"This quick trial is a violation of all principles of law...The state security courts do not afford the minimal legal procedures for the accused and for the defense," he said, adding that his legal team would appeal the court's decision.
"It has succumbed to Israeli blackmail. The committee to defend Abu Hannoud will continue its work and we call for a cancellation of the sentence and a retrial in front of a fair court, a civil court," he said.
Arafat said Abu Hannoud's lawyers had been notified that the trial would take place only half an hour before it started, and that they had walked out of the session to protest against what he said was the faulty legality of the proceedings, added the agency.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said the army had no immediate comment on the decision of the Palestinian court, according to the agency.
The spiritual leader of Hamas group, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, rejected the ruling, saying Abu Hannoud should "not stay in prison for one moment.
"Hamas rejects the ruling. We believe he should be released immediately because he resisted the (Israeli) occupation on behalf of his people and the Palestinian cause. We urge the Palestinian Authority to reconsider the decision and immediately free him," he told Reuters.
JEWISH AMERICANS URGE CLINTON TO PROSECUTE ABU HANNOUD IN THE US
The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations had called on President Clinton to demand that Palestinian President Yasser Arafat surrender to US the Abu Hannoud.
The Conference of Presidents claimed that Abu Hannoud should be prosecuted in the United States for allegedly killing three American citizens in 1996 and 1997. The alleged victims include David Boim, a US citizen killed in a drive-by shooting near Beit El in May 1996, Leah Stern, from New Jersey, who died in the July 1997 Mahane Yehuda marketplace bombing in Jerusalem, and Yael Botwin of Los Angeles, who was killed in the September 1997 Ben-Yehuda Street bombing in Jerusalem.
The Conference of Presidents this week released a letter it received from President Clinton, in which he wrote that he has urged the Palestinian Authority to arrest suspects accused of killing Americans. Upon releasing the letter, the Conference issued a statement saying that Palestinian suspects "must be brought to the court of justice in this country." The Jewish organizations in effect were taking issue with Clinton's suggestion that it would be sufficient for the Palestinian Authority to apprehend the suspects.
In their statement, the Jewish leaders said they were troubled by the likelihood that Abu Hannoud would not receive an appropriate punishment at the hands of the Palestinian justice system, which they described as a “revolving door."
Last week, President Clinton wrote to the Conference of Presidents pledging to do everything he can to bring Palestinian suspects who allegedly killed Americans to justice. But the Jewish leaders said the detention of Mahmoud Abu-Hannoud provides the United States with an opportunity to ensure that the suspect receives American justice. They urged Clinton to request that Arafat surrender Abu Hannoud for prosecution in the US. They said that the absence of an extradition agreement between the US and the Palestinian Authority need not be an obstacle to securing the transfer of Abu Hannoud to the US, since the US government frequently arranges for the transfer of criminal suspects from around the world outside normal extradition channels.
Meanwhile, the ZOA has initiated urgent contacts with leading Members of Congress to discuss ways to persuade the Clinton Administration to demand that Arafat surrender Abu Hannoud to the United States for prosecution – Albawaba.com
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