Three Palestinian citizens of Israel who study at the Jerusalem College of Engineering (JCE) were arrested on Wednesday for allegedly threatening other students planning to attend a lecture by Israeli President Shimon Peres.
While they themselves openly boycotted the lecture, their arrests were made as a result of a complaint filed against them for making threats and incitement. They however claim that they were arrested for calling for the boycott of the lecture itself.
They have been placed under house arrest by a local court and expelled from Jerusalem for one week so as to prevent them talking to other students. The names of two of the three students were released: Khalil Gharra from Jit and Rafat Shaban from Majd Al Koroum.
According to both Arab news sites and Ynet, the three students wrote on the college’s Facebook page that they would not attend the lecture – in fact, according to reports, not a single Arab student attended the event. Other students commented that this was a blatant violation of their basic right to freedom of expression and implied this was a consequence of the “Boycott Law,” which went into effect last July.
The Boycott Prohibition Law makes it a civil offense to openly call for a boycott of any Israeli business or institution, whether inside the 1967 borders or the occupied West Bank. It allows all those who feel they have been harmed by a boycott, whether against Israel or an Israeli institution or territory to sue the person or organization who publicly called for it, without proving any damages.
Since it passed last year and sparked outrage not only by Israeli leftists and human rights organizations but also by the American Jewish community, there have been no reports of any breach of the law or suits filed.
One cannot be arrested for calling for boycott, and the Jerusalem District Police claim they only made the arrests after a complaint was made that the students were threatening other students. Still, this story appears to reek of the spirit of the “Boycott Law,” since it is not yet clear what the students did to warrant the charge of threats and incitement. It is also not clear who filed the complaint.
For additional original analysis and breaking news, visit +972 Magazine's Facebook page or follow us on Twitter. Our newsletter features a comprehensive round-up of the week's events. Sign up here.
aristeides
No surprise that Arabs were the first victims.
Seth Morrison
Conviction before trial and censorship. This is event worse than the law itself. This is yet another sad step backwards.
Rico
to be fair, we don’t yet know whether they threatened anyone. that is what they stand accused of. if they did indeed do it, then the indignation behind this post will turn out to be misplaced.
Danny
Arrested for boycotting a talk by Shimon Peres? This sounds familiar…
.
http://www.prisonplanet.com/any-north-koreans-found-not-to-have-cried-hystrically-at-kim-jong-ils-passing-may-spend-6-months-in-a-labor-camp.html
Pamela Olson
@Rico, sure, just like all those children arrested and tortured in the West Bank and Gaza were threatening Israeli soldiers. I’ve been involved in many boycott calls and actions, and threats is not part of the MO. The whole point is that it’s non-violent. But that freaks the Israeli government out more than anything. They WISH these students had threatened someone. But they (almost certainly) didn’t, so they had to make things up, as usual, and arrest without trial, as usual.
Palestinian
How dare you boycott their oldest terrorist ? “dammn it those Arabs , never forget about our crimes” !!!!!
Rechavia Berman
Interesting. It’s like they’re waiting to see if we lefty Jews catch on and protest loud enough about the Arabs. If not, when they do it to us next we’ll look like hypocrites. Well, I know what my next blog post will open with.
Sam
Mairav, you forgot to mention that the announcement of the event (at least the versions I’ve seen on another website), stated that “presence is mandatory for all students”, making their reaction very natural, were it a normal country.
Carl
Hmm, I don’t know what Rico’s politics are, but at face value, I’d say he’s right. Could be they were threatening people, or that they were just making a peaceful act of BDS themed resistance. If those in the know hear any more specifics, do tell.
Piotr Berman
“They were placed under house arrest by a local court…”
This is very interesting. I mean, is a complain can make someone arrested and banished it seems to be an awfully low standard of proof. The alleged threat would be, I imagine, that the threateners after seeing fellow students at a lecture that they would not attend would do something unpleasant.
I wonder what would happen to students who would refuse to attend Peres’ lecture on the account that he was seen in an opera where female singers performed (is there, in general, for non-halachic conduct.
Mairav Zonszein
Thanks @SAM
Laila
We Palestinians do not call them (Arab Israelis) we call them Palestinian in 1948, or Arabs living in 48..
Danny Demiculo
News just in: Meirav was fined 300 shekels by Tel Aviv municipality for holding extreme left views.
The municipality claims that the fine is for illegal parking, but Meirav denies is.
This story reeks of discrimination as hilltop youths are rarely charged with parking offenses with the dubious excuse that they don’t own cars.
ilan
i just want to say that there were arabs in that dicussion with the presedent.
but if you call for a boycott and threaten people you musy expect the imlications