Indictment: Hamas men resided in Jerusalem, avoided arrest

Hamas minister, MP charged with residing in Israel illegally and taking part in terror-related activity in east Jerusalem

Aviad Glickman|Published: 02.07.12 , 12:23

Senior Hamas members operated out of a protest tent in Jerusalem and avoided arrest, according to an indictment filed Tuesday against the Islamist group's Jerusalem affairs minister and a Palestinian parliament member who represents the terror organization.

Related articles:

Khaled Abu Arfa and Muhammad Tutah were charged with belonging to a terror organization, supporting a terror organization and illegally residing in Israel.

According to the indictment, submitted by the Jerusalem District Prosecution to a local court, the Hamas members' activity in the capital led authorities to revoke their permanent residency permits in June 2010. Since then, until the day of of their arrest, Abu Arfa and Tutah lived in a tent set up in the courtyard of the Red Cross' offices in east Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in an effort to avoid being arrested and to protest Israel's plan to detain them.

The Hamas operatives took part in meetings organized by the neighborhood council, which consists of members of the Islamist group, the indictment said. During these meetings, which were held in the tent, participants discussed Hamas' terror-related activities.

The prosecution said that during the meetings the councilmen would conjure up ideas for various activities for Jerusalem's Muslim residents, including organizing visits by the families of "shahids" being held in Israeli prisons.

The prosecution asked the court to extend the Hamas men's remand until legal proceedings are concluded.