Police Recommend Indicting 2 Leftwing Activists Who Turned in Arab Land Brokers to PA

The Judea and Samaria Police unit for nationalistic crime last week transferred its investigation files on leftwing activists Ezra Nawi and Guy Butavia to the state prosecutor with a recommendation to indict, Walla reported. However, the crimes for which they will be indicted have yet to be revealed.

The two men, employees of the Ta'ayush group (the Arabic word means "living together"), were arrested last January together with Nasser Nawaj'ah, a researcher for leftwing NGO B'Tselem, following an exposé that had been broadcast on Israeli TV. The two were interrogated in connection with causing the death of a person, as the broadcast alleged: the two were accused of turning in to the PA Arab land brokers who traded with Jewish settlers. PA law prohibits selling land to Jews under penalty of death, and in the broadcast Nawi was secretly recorded bragging about the land brokers he caused to lose their freedom and even their lives, for selling to Jews.

A source in Judea and Samaria police told Walla the recommendation against Nawi and Butavia touched on all the items for which they had been initially interrogated, including conspiracy to commit a crime and contact with a foreign agent. The source noted that in the end it would be up to the prosecution to decide on the indictments. It is unclear at this point whether the police intend to recommend indicting Nawaj'ah as well, since he is a PA resident and the proceedings against him will take place in a military court.

During the investigation, the police requested the court several times to extend the incarceration of the suspects, arguing that they were involved in a conspiracy to commit a crime and contact with a foreign agent. But each time the police were unable to convince the judges that the incarcerations were necessary, until in the end the court revoked the restrictions it had placed on the suspects' freedom of movement, despite police appeals.

According to the two suspects' attorneys, Leah Tsemel and Deuelle Luski, police have not come up with any additional evidence against their clients, other than the television exposé.