Three young men from the east Jerusalem refugee camp of Shuafat were accused Sunday of being members of a terror organization following their activity in the camp on behalf of Tanzim, the Fatah organization's militant faction.
According to the indictment, filed with the Jerusalem District Court, the three were no involved in hostile activity against the State of Israel but in maintaining law and order.
Nonetheless, they were arrested and charged as Tanzim has been defined by the government as a terror organization since December 2001, and because they had used weapons purchased illegally as part of their activity. They were also accused of committing various weapon offenses.
The men accused in the affair are Nur Aladin Hader, 23, Muhand Hamed, 24, and Murad Abu Hamdan, 24. The three joined Tanzim in 2008, and according to the indictment, they took part in a meeting convened to plan the organization's activity in the camp. They also participated in a procession for "martyrs" killed in Operation Cast Lead in Gaza.
The main part of the activity included policing operations. According to the indictment, the three "used to threaten drug dealers and expel them from Shuafat, carrying clubs, knives and axes and firing in the air in a bid to scare them, as well as reconcile between people, act against car thieves, clean and decorate streets in the camp during the holy month of Ramadan. In these activities, the defendants were members of a terrorist organization."
Other clauses in the indictment refer to the weapons the defendants used as part of their activities, using them to fire in the air in weddings and other events. The three were accused of purchasing weapons, carrying weapons and acting recklessly and with negligence.