What justice looks like for those who kill Palestinians

Ahed Tamimi in custody

Yael Marom, in +972, writes, “Ever since she was arrested in the middle of the night late last December, 17-year-old Ahed Tamimi has been held in Israeli custody. On Wednesday, Tamimi signed a plea deal in Israeli military court and will serve eight months in prison, including three months time served.Her mother, Nariman, and cousin, Nur, also signed plea deals. Nariman will serve eight months, and Nur was sentenced to time served.”

“Israel’s military legal system uses the tactic of plea bargains often. Approximately 70 percent of convictions for minors in military court end in plea bargains, pushing the percentage of total minors convicted in military courts to an astounding 95 percent. For Palestinian teenagers it is obvious that if they sign a plea bargain, there is a high chance that they will go home to their families and friends faster than if they insist on going to court — even if they have a chance of winning. Often the proceedings might even take much longer than the sentence they would be handed in a plea bargain.”

“In the case of the Tamimi family, one could assume that it was clear to them that what began as a “show trial” would eventually end in prison time. Thus the path to a plea bargain was paved. The military court’s insistence on holding Ahed’s trial behind closed doors, such that it would be hidden from public view, did not give the family any more reason to trust in whatever justice the occupier could offer.” (read more)