An Israeli military court on Monday ruled that 21 Hamas officials arrested in a crackdown on the Palestinian ruling Islamist party should remain in detention pending further investigations.
OFER MILITARY BASE/WEST BANK: An Israeli military court on Monday ruled that 21 Hamas officials arrested in a crackdown on the Palestinian ruling Islamist party should remain in detention pending further investigations.
The military judge ruled in favour of a request by prosecutors to hold the officials, including parliament speaker Aziz Dweik, in detention while their case is examined, the defendants' attorney, Jawad Boulos, said.
Israeli army radio quoted the judge as saying "there is enough evidence that the defendants belong to a terrorist organization to justify that they remain in detention until the end of the inquiry."
"They can't hide behind their official duties," the judge said.
On September 12, a different judge at the court sitting in an Israeli base in the occupied West Bank ordered the men, who stand accused of membership of a "terrorist organization," freed on bail of 25,000 shekels (5,700 dollars) a head pending their case.
The judge said he was "not convinced" their continued detention was justified, but agreed to keep the men in detention pending a prosecutors' appeal of the ruling, which was filed two days later.
Among those facing charges along with Dweik are religious affairs minister Nayef Rajub, Jerusalem affairs minister Khaled Abu Arafeh, local government minister Issa al-Jaabari and parliament secretary general Mahmud Ramahi.
The men are among scores of elected Hamas representatives arrested by troops in a massive West Bank sweep following the June 25 capture of Israeli soldier, Corporal Gilad Shalit in a raid claimed jointly by its armed wing.
Critics have charged that Israel detained the officials to use as bargaining chips for the missing soldier.
"The MPs and ministers are the bargaining chip for Israel until the Israeli soldier is released, and Israel does not want to lose a way of exerting pressure," Boulos's fellow defense lawyer Osama al-Saadi charged last week.
Dweik, who was arrested last month and charged on August 22 with belonging to a terrorist organization, says Israel has no right to put him on trial.
"I think this detention is political and the fact that it continues is linked to the Shalit case," he told journalists from the dock last week.
Israel arrested more than 60 Hamas officials, including a third of the cabinet and more than two dozen MPs, after the cross-border raid by Gaza militants in which Shalit was captured and two others were killed.
Twenty-eight MPs and five cabinet ministers remain in custody. Most of them have been charged with membership of a terrorist organization.
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas has urged Israel to free detained Hamas ministers and lawmakers before a national unity government is formed between the Islamist movement and his moderate Fatah faction.
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