An Arab citizen of Israel with a long history as a Fatah terrorist has been sentenced to seven years in prison by a Nazareth court. The man, 58-year-old Orsan Assad, was also ordered to pay a 25,000 shekel fine.
Assad, of the Galilee village of Iksal, left Israel for Lebanon at the age of 18. From there, he made his way to Algeria, where he became an active member of Fatah.
He traveled to Europe, and met there with Arab citizens of Israel, who he trained in bomb-making and other terror tactics. He also oversaw four attempted bombings in northern Israel; all four attempts were thwarted by Israeli forces.
Assad was convicted for terrorism over his Fatah activities in the late 1980s and early 1990s despite the fact that Fatah has since been accepted by Israel as a partner in peace negotiations.
His attorneys argued that his actions should be overlooked, just as Israel ignores the terrorist backgrounds of senior Fatah members who are the leaders of today's Palestinian Authority. One judge was convinced. “Just as nobody would consider arresting a Palestinian negotiator over his past actions targeting Israeli citizens, so too I do not believe the defendant should be punished according to the severity of his actions,” argued judge Avraham Avraham.
Terrorists, Spies May Lose Citizenship
A bill that would strip convicted terrorists and spies of their Israeli citizenship won ministerial approval Sunday. The bill was proposed by MK David Rotem of Yisrael Beiteinu.
Rotem's proposal will face an initial vote next Wednesday.