_a.jpg "צילום: אחיה ראב\"ד")
Ali. Pled guilty
צילום: אחיה ראב"ד
2 years jail time for Hizbullah informer
Israeli-Arab sentenced to 2 year in prison for providing Hizbullah terror group with information about locations of structures, IDF base in Israel during stay in Lebanon
The Haifa District Court sentenced on Sunday Awara Hassan Ali, 22, an Israeli-Arab from the village of Mazraa to two years in jail for providing terror group Hizbullah with information about Israel and an IDF base.
The court's deliberations took place in closed doors and were released for publication following a request by a Ynet reporter.
Ali has been arrested by the police and the Shit Bet over three months ago when he was returned by the Hizbullah to Israeli territory. Following his interrogation he was charged with informing the enemy, unlawful departure from Israel, and escaping prison. Ali pled guilty to the charges in a plea bargain between his lawyer Amit Rozines and the prosecutor Shunit Kedem.
In April 2005, Ali was released for a holiday from the Carmel prison where he was serving time for stealing a motorcycle. During that time he was in negotiations with the prison authority regarding his transfer to another prison. Ali never returned from his vacation, and instead crossed the border to Lebanon.
Shortly after, Ali was captured and jailed by Hizbullah members. During this time Ali provided Hizbullah with information about an IDF base in Rosh Hanikra, in northern Israel, and about buildings associated with companies like Bezek, the Israeli phone company and the Israel electric corporation, located in Nahariya. He also gave them information about public institutions in Nahariya, as well as in his home town. He even pointed those out in aerial photographs and, by his own admission, also gave the terror group information about people he knew who volunteer in the police.
During the trial his lawyer claimed that this kind of information could be obtained by calling a directory service and over the Internet. Regarding the IDF base in Rosh Hanikra, the lawyer claimed that Hizbullah already had that information before. He also stated that his client's information was taken under duress while he was jailed.
On its part, the prosecution claimed that Hizbullah used the information that the defendant gave them. "We assess that Hizbullah certainly used this information, otherwise they wouldn't have asked for such specific information if they didn't think they would benefit from it. The information he had given was various and detailed".
The presiding Judge, Shoshana Satmar and the judges Yael Vilner and Diana Sela said that six months of the two-year sentence are for escaping prison and another 18 months for security violation. Ali will begin his two-year sentence after completing his original sentencing for the motorcycle theft, which will end in a few months. Ali was also sentenced to a year and half probation and a NIS 10,000 fine.
