After months of postponements due to lack of evidence, the Israeli
Salem Military Court once again put off the trials of elected
Palestinian officials this afternoon.
The Palestinian Authority Ministry of Detainees and Ex Detainees Affairs announced that the Israelis did not allow the press into the court room, gave no comment and offered no reason for postponing the trials until January.
The first Palestinian official statements to the press described the illegitimacy of the Israeli court and trial, explaining those on trial are the democratically elected representatives of the Palestinian people and were arrested for being such. The trials were postponed in the past when the judge granted prosecutors more time to come up with charges against the Palestinians.
A general call went out to the international community to uphold its responsibilities in protecting the democratic process against the Israelis, appealing to human rights and international organizations for immediate intervention.
The Palestinian Authority ministers and Legislative Council deputies whose trials were postponed Monday are Omar Abdel Rizaq, Yasser Mansour, Hosni Borini, Riad Ali, Riyad Raddad, Fat'hi Qaraoui, Khalid Yehia, Khalid Abu Hassan, Ibrahim Dahbur, Dr. Nasser Abdel Jawad and Imad Nofal.
