Despite the Israeli Arab sector protests and allegations of racism, the Petach Tikvah Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday ordered two Israeli Arabs suspected of espionage remanded to jail, unwilling to comply with bail requests.

Supporters marched outside the courthouse carrying Hebrew and Arabic signs in support of the suspects, Omar Sayid, an activist in the Balad Party along with prominent Arab author Amir Makhoul. The two stand accused of meeting with Hizbullah agents and knowingly passing information to the enemy. They now face charges including espionage. The gag order on the case was lifted on Monday, permitting the publication of the arrests and few other details.

Among the organizers was Tel Aviv University Professor Yehuda Shenhav, who is quoted by Haaretz explaining the significance of Jews turning out for the support rally, explaining he and others view this as a politically motivated case.

Apparently the Israeli Arab community feels the fact that in this case the suspects are Arabs warrants a shift in the fact, from the evidence pointing to treason towards highlighting the involvement of minority citizens, hoping to gain momentum for their efforts to label this a politically tainted ordeal.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)