Federman, who recently completed law school in the Academic College in Kiryat Ono, is serving as an apprentice in a Jerusalem law firm. His official registration as such, however, is being held up because of the Prosecution's objections - preventing him from taking the Bar exams and practicing as an attorney.



Deputy State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan presented to the Israeli Bar a "thick volume," according to Federman, detailing all of Federman's past crimes. These include, for instance, a conviction for assault and unseemly public behavior for spitting on PA leader Feisal Husseini in January 1990, as well as other acts of violence against Arabs and involvement in scuffles with IDF soldiers.



However, Federman noted, "we told the panel that much of what is written there is simply untrue. Nitzan included many alleged 'crimes' for which I was never even indicted, or, in one case, of which I was acquitted. The panel was surprised to hear that they were being misled in this way."



"Furthermore," Federman said, "Nitzan's charges against me included the fact that I was in administrative detention or house arrest for much of the past two years - but every child knows that it was trumped-up. The Jerusalem District Court even ordered the government to award me 100,000 shekels in damages for having done so."



Federman claims that he has been a long-time target of the Jewish section of the General Security Service (Shabak). He feels that the current attempt to prevent him from practicing law is part of the same campaign.



Federman also provided some examples of people who were allowed to become lawyers in Israel: "Muhammed Burjal, who admitted to having planned terrorist crimes such as the kidnapping of soldiers, and another Arab who was convicted of spying for Syria. They can be lawyers, and I can't?"



The Bar panel did not reach a decision, and will call another session in the near future.



Asked if he was optimistic, Federman said, "I really don't know. After all, this is not an issue based on the merits of the matter, but is rather politically motivated."