ISRAELI PEACE activist Ezra Nawi was sentenced in the Jerusalem magistrate’s court yesterday to one month in prison after being found guilty of attacking two police officers during a protest against the destruction of Palestinian homes in the West Bank two years ago.
Mr Nawi (57), former partner of Senator David Norris, told The Irish Timeshe would appeal the jail term. "The punishment doesn't worry me. The court is supporting the occupation," he said after the sentencing.
Mr Nawi, who has maintained his innocence throughout, vowed to continue with his political activism. Under the court decision he will serve an additional six months if he takes part in similar protests in the next three years.
He accused the policemen who testified against him of lying, saying the Israeli establishment was determined to jail him.
The charges related to a protest against the demolition of Palestinian Bedouin homes in the southern West Bank in 2007 when villagers and left-wing activists tried to prevent the bulldozing of huts built without permission from the Israeli occupation authorities. Mr Nawi was found guilty of striking two police officers during the protest.
Judge Eilata Ziskind ruled that ideological beliefs cannot excuse violence. “Freedom of expression does not permit riots, incitement or violence,” she told the court. “If the system of law enforcement collapses, anarchy will reign and democracy and freedom of expression will end.”
Much of Ezra Nawi’s time has been spent helping Palestinians in their struggle against Jewish settlers in the southern Hebron Hills.
The Yesha Human Rights settler activist group criticised his one-month jail term as lenient. “The 30-day sentence underlines the selectivity of law enforcement officials in the West Bank which allow Nawi to run wild, hurt settlers, damage their property, and co-operate with Hamas.”
The Nawi case has gained significant international interest, with activists claiming more than 100,000 people signed a petition in his defence.