Jerusalem Court Orders Palestinian Authority to Pay Millions for Illegal Imprisonment Over Land Sale to Israeli

The Jerusalem District Court has ruled that the Palestinian Authority (PA) must pay approximately 3.34 million shekels to a Palestinian resident of the village of Samu who was illegally detained and imprisoned for about five years after attempting to sell family-owned land to a resident of the Israeli settlement Ma'aleh. The court found that his arrest and imprisonment were unlawful and that the PA subjected him to significant violence during his detention. The ruling was issued by Judge Chaya Zandberg following a lawsuit filed by the man, represented by attorney Barak Kedem.

The PA considered the attempted sale of land to an Israeli citizen a severe security offense classified under "treason". The plaintiff was arrested in February 2014 by the PA's Preventive Security Service and charged three months later with attempting to transfer Palestinian land to the enemy. He was convicted in 2016 in a Hebron court and sentenced to five years of imprisonment with hard labor and a fine. His appeal to the Ramallah Court of Appeals was rejected, and he remained imprisoned until February 2019.

The Israeli court determined that selling land to Israelis cannot be legally deemed treason solely based on the buyers' Israeli identity. During the trial, the plaintiff testified to enduring harsh physical abuse, including being handcuffed to an iron chair for hours, solitary confinement, beatings with sticks and other objects, exposure to cold weather, deprivation of food and sleep, and verbal humiliation. The violence reportedly continued in Dahariya prison, where he was held in a cell for those suspected of collaborating with Israel or selling land to Jews. Other inmates corroborated seeing him beaten severely, sometimes losing consciousness.

The plaintiff also claimed his confessions were extracted under torture, naming two officers who allegedly abused him during nighttime interrogations, though the PA did not summon these officers to testify. Medical records from December 2014 documented scratches, finger injuries, and pain. The court criticized the PA for not presenting additional medical evidence but concluded that substantial violence was inflicted on the plaintiff, constituting assault.

The total compensation includes legal fees. Attorney Barak Kedem stated that while the monetary award cannot restore the years lost to imprisonment or erase the harm suffered, the verdict sends a clear message that persecuting individuals for connections with Jews or Israelis will have consequences. He pledged to continue advocating for Palestinians harmed by the PA's policies to receive justice and significant compensation.