Palestine Center for Prisoners studies stated that Israel sentenced 5 Palestinians to life imprisonment during 2020.

Head of the center, Riyad Al-Ashqar, said that Israel’s courts sentenced life imprisonment to every prisoner convicted of implementing any military operation resulting in the death of a settler or a soldier.

He mentioned that the number of prisoners in Israeli jails reached 4400, including 2670 serving different jails sentences, and 543 sentenced to life imprisonment.

Al-Ashqar clarified that the 5 Palestinians sentenced to life imprisonment are Asem Omar Bargouti, Omar Bargouti’s brother who spent more than 26years in prison, arrested by Israeli forces on Jan 7^th, 2019, imposed to investigations, and then convicted of implementing two military operations resulting in the death of two soldiers and a settler.

Second, Sahban TiTi who had been arrested on March 9^th, 2016 under the charge of killing a settler in an operation implemented in southern Hebron in 2015. The Israeli court then sentenced him to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of 1,800,000 NIS after destroying his family home.

Third, Khaleel Yousef Jabareen, 19, was arrested on Sep 2018 after being shot and injured in his foot and hands while he was only17 years old. Israeli forces claimed that he killed a settler near Gush Etzion settlement in northern Hebron, sentenced him to life imprisonment, and imposed a fine of 1,250,000 NIS.

Israel also sentenced Omar Rimawi, 20, and Ayham Sabah, 18, to life imprisonment. They were arrested in February 2015 under the charge of killing a settler, when they were only 15 after being shot and injured. Two years later, Israel’s court sentenced them to 35 years of imprisonment. In January 2020, they were sentenced to life imprisonment.

Al-Ashqar also stated that these sentences are racist and unjust, Israel violates all the laws, and they overuses them in order to repress the Palestinians and prevent them from resisting the Israeli occupation.