Israeli Occupation Sentences Spanish Aid Worker to Over 1 Year
The sentencing proves that the Israeli occupation will go above and beyond to impede any aid provided to Palestinians.
"Israel's" oppression of Palestinians has extended to include foreigners providing aid to those whose rights the Israeli occupation has been violating for decades, sentencing a Spanish aid worker to 13 months in prison over aiding Palestinians through means the occupation deemed "illegal."
On Wednesday, an Israeli court sentenced Spanish aid worker Juana Rashmawi to over a year in prison under the pretext of "funding a Palestinian militant organization."
Rashmawi's lawyer said "Israel's" military court had confirmed the sentence requested by prosecutors as part of a plea agreement, ordering her to pay a fine that amounts to $16,000.
The Israeli occupation forces claim that Rashmawi "confessed" to her role as a "fundraiser for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine," which her lawyer rejected.
Rashmawi is an aid worker that has been working for the Union of Health Work Committees, which the Israeli occupation had banned from the occupied West Bank in 2020 under the pretext of the organization being a civilian arm of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
The Israeli occupation first arrested Rashmawi in April. Her daughter Maria told reporters the sentencing was "important because the uncertainty of the last months led to a lot of anguish, and it was very hard to bear."
This sentencing is pivotal, for it highlights Israeli brutality and how "Israel" is ready to oppress and abuse anyone for the sake of impeding the Palestinian cause or even the slight amelioration of the living conditions of Palestinians.
This brand new Israeli violation comes only weeks after the same oppressive authorities outlawed six prominent Palestinian civil society groups and designated them as "terrorists," claiming they had links to the PFLP.
The organizations in question are al-Haq, Addameer, Defense for Children International-Palestine, Bisan Center for Research and Development, the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees, and the Union of Agricultural Work Committees.
The Israeli decision directly came under fire, with the United Nations describing the designation as "arbitrary," and several European states had said they were not convinced by the alleged "proofs," asking for "concrete evidence" for the reason behind the designation of the six Palestinian NGOs as "terrorists."
Israeli officials quickly took to hosting about their abuse against Rashmawi, saying her conviction "proved" their accusations against the six NGOs as "correct."
Her lawyer swiftly rejected the description, saying he would demand a clarification from Israeli officials.