RAMALLAH, West Bank: An Israeli military court yesterday sentenced the secretary-general of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Ahmed Saadat, to 30 years in prison.
Saadat, who is also a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, was indicted on 19 “terrorism-related charges,” including overseeing the PFLP’s military operations, membership in an illegal organization, arms dealing and incitement. When Israeli forces seized Saadat in March 2006 in a raid on a Jericho prison, he stood accused of planning the 2001 murder of far-right Israeli Tourism Minister Rehavam Zeevi, which was carried out by four PFLP fighters.
Prosecutors later decided not to pursue this case against Saadat, instead pressing the charges against four PFLP gunmen who were seized along with him in Jericho.
The PFLP slammed the verdict as political. “When the Israelis arrested him, they accused him of having killed Zeevi, but this accusation did not appear in the sentencing which proves that his arrest was political and not related to security issues,” PFLP member Khalid Jarar said.
The sentencing came as Israel threatened to invade Gaza to stop rocket attacks, brushing off a plea from Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to show restraint and appealing directly to Gaza’s people to stop the barrages.
Two rockets and 15 mortar shells exploded in Israel by nightfall, the military said, far fewer than on Wednesday, but Israel insisted that no other country would accept such an assault.
Mubarak invited Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni to Cairo to discuss the possibility of renewing a truce with Hamas that expired Friday. But by the time Livni arrived, 80 rockets had fallen on Israel the day before, and she was in no mood to discuss a truce.
Instead, Mubarak urged Israel to show restraint, but Livni dismissed that. “Enough is enough,” she said afterward.
“When there’s shooting, there’s a response. Any state would react that way,” Livni added.
“We will not accept this situation,” Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned. “Whoever harms the citizens and soldiers of Israel will pay a heavy price.”
Barak and Livni are candidates for prime minister in Israel’s Feb. 10 election, facing ex-Premier Benjamin Netanyahu, who is calling for harsh action in Gaza.
Despite the tough talk, Israel has been reluctant to embark on an offensive liable to exact heavy casualties on both sides. Also, past invasions have not halted the barrages.
— With input from agencies
