Arab-Israeli Lawyers Convicted of Aiding Hamas and Islamic Jihad
Jerusalem (TPS) – Two Arab-Israeli lawyers, brother and sister, were convicted on Thursday, December 24 of exploiting their position as lawyers to run a communication network between Hamas and Islamic Jihad prisoners and leaders.
Medhat and Shireen Issawi, aged 42 and 37 respectively, are siblings from the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Issawiya who have been under arrest since March, 2014. They had both been operating a law firm since January, 2012 called ‘Al-Quds’ providing “legislative and trade services” and which employed several lawyers who visited security prisoners from Hamas and the Islamic Jihad.
The lawyers used these visits to convey messages and to act as coordinators of activities and communications between security prisoners, including terrorist leaders who committed mass terror attacks, terrorist operatives outside of prison, and terrorist organization leaderships.
“During their visits, the lawyers transferred messages and letters from terrorist leaders, containing information on local organizations, hunger strikes, money transfers, and messages for Hamas leaders in Gaza and abroad,” said Haim Fass of the Jerusalem District State Attorney’s office.
“They effectively helped the terror organizations coordinate their activities with their prisoners,” said Fass. “They exploited visits by lawyers supposedly used for legal consultation, and used them to aid and coordinate the activities of terrorist organizations.”
The verdict issued by the Jerusalem District Court stated that the two “exploited their position, which had enabled them to attend to prisoners’ legal issues, for the purpose of terrorist activities.”
The lawyers received money in return from a Gaza law firm representing terror organizations, which was transferred to the lawyers’ bank accounts. The siblings were in contact with the “Al-Nur” association, belonging to Hamas, and with an identically named association belonging to Islamic Jihad, both of which have been outlawed in Israel.
The Issawi siblings were convicted of contacting foreign agents, aiding an unlawful association (dozens of counts), and use of property for the purpose of terrorism (dozens of counts).
They will remain in custody until they are to be sentenced 90 days from now.