Israel/Palestine

In his decision to release Nawaja on Sunday, the judge at the military court in Ofer Camp – were Nawaja was held - ruled that the police investigation showed no progress, and that it wasn't clear at all that Nawaja posed any danger to the safety of the land dealer in question, an Israeli resident. The court gave the police 24 hours to appeal the release. As no appeal was filed, Nawaja was released.

Nawaja was initially held in a Jerusalem jail. On Thursday, the Jerusalem District Court ordered Nawaja released, after granting his lawyers' petition that an Israeli court does not have the authority to rule in his case as the offense was neither committed in Israel nor security related.

Nawaja is also suspected of contact with a foreign agent, which raises some questions, since he is a resident of the Palestinian Authority and the foreign agent he allegedly approached were members of the Palestinian security services. In addition, Israeli defense officials are in contact with members of the PA security services on a regular basis, so it’s not clear what legal grounds there could be for such a charge.