An Israeli court charged on Wednesday the head of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Dr. Aziz Dweik, with membership and and activity in “an outlawed organization”, referring to the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas.
The PLC head was led into the Ofer Israeli military court court hall with shackles. As the court was in session Dweik said that he does not recognize the authority “of a court of occupation”.
“This is a political trial”, Dweik stated, “I don’t recognize it, I am an elected official”.
The Israeli prosecutor charged during the hearing that Dweik called in one case Hamas political Bureau Chief in Syria, Khaled Mashal, and asked him for large sums of money. Yet, the allegation was not part of the indictment.
The next hearing of the court was set for August 31. Dweik was arrested earlier this month.
Israeli soldiers arrested in recent weeks a total of thirty Hamas legislators, and five cabinet ministers, including Nasser Ed Deen Al Sha’er, Palestinian deputy Prime Minister.
Lawyers defending Dweik complained that he was being detained in very difficult conditions, and that his tiny cell is full of cockroaches.
During the interrogation period, Dweik was transferred to a Jerusalem hospital suffering chest pain. He also suffers a kidney problem.
Dweik’s wife told the Palestinian Information Center that he is placed in a small cell along with the Palestinian deputy Prime Minister, Dr. Nasser Ed Deen Al Sha’er.
Al Sha’er was arrested from his house in Ramallah, in the northern part of the West Bank, last Saturday.
A total of forty legislators and five ministers have been arrested by Israel
Dr. Ahmad Bahar, first deputy of the Dweik said, on Wednesday during a massive protest in Gaza, that Israel is carrying war against the will of the Palestinian people and their elected government.
He added that the Palestinian people will not surrender to Israel and called on world parliamentarians to act for the release of all elected legislators and ministers.
