Israeli court adjourns sentencing of Jordanian

AMMAN — An Israeli court on Tuesday adjourned the sentencing of Jordanian prisoner Abdullah Zeitawi to August 17, an activist on prisoner issues said on Thursday.

This is not the first time the trial has been postponed, said Shireen Nafe, a member of the media team supporting Jordanian prisoners in Israel, Fedaa.

“It is Abdullah this time who asked to delay the session, because he was expecting a five- to six-year imprisonment,” Nafe told The Jordan Times, noting that the term the court wanted to issue was eight years, as requested by the Israeli prosecution, which she described as “disproportionate”. 

Zeitawi was arrested in September 2014 in Nablus, after he, accompanied by family members, travelled from Kuwait, their country of residence, to Palestine to get married, the activist said.

He was arrested a few days before his wedding, she added.

“He faces charges of joining a resistance movement, committing resistance acts and manufacturing explosives,” Nafe pointed out.

The 30-year-old, who is also a member of the Jordan Engineers Association, is currently held at Megiddo Prison, she added.

There are some 25 Jordanian prisoners in Israel, according to recent statistics by Fedaa.

Six of the prisoners are facing life sentences: Abdullah Barghouthi (67 life sentences), Marae Abu Saeedeh (11 life sentences), Munir Marae (5 life sentences) and Hisham Kaabi (4 life sentences), in addition to Mohammad Rimawi and Hani Khamaiseh, each of whom is facing a life sentence.