A Palestinian Authority Arab man who lived illegally in the Israeli Arab city of Taibe near Netanya and threw rocks at moving cars and attacked police officers has been sentenced to 11 months in prison. The sentence was handed down Sunday by Judge Zecharia Kaspi.
The court found that the accused, Zaadam Melham, had entered Taibe illegally from the nearby Palestinian Authority city of Tulkarem. While living in Taibe in January, 2009, Melham took part in a violent demonstration against Israeli counterterrorism operations in Gaza.
During the protest, Melham joined a group of rioters in hurling stones at vehicles along a highway, causing damage but no injuries. He also flung a glass bottle at police officers. He was convicted of illegal residence in Israel, rioting, wanton endangerment and interfering with a police officer.
Prosecutors noted that Melham held previous convictions for intefering with soldiers and impersonation. For those offenses, he served a short prison sentence coupled with parole.
Judge Kaspi labeled Melham's offenses “serious” but added that most were "not extremely serious" because he did not cause injury.
The judge noted that throwing rocks at moving cars is dangerous but added, “I did not find fit to use the full force of the law against the guilty party or to place full responsibility for the events described on his slender shoulders.”
The demonstration at which the attacks took place was one of many demonstrations to take place in Israeli Arab towns during fighting in Gaza.