A three Judge Haifa district court will pass sentence tomorrow on two Jews and four Arabs found guilty today of membership in a Syrian-directed spy ring, relaying secret information to the enemy and maintaining contact with the enemy. The prosecuting attorney demanded severe penalties. Defense attorneys asked for leniency.
The defendants, some of whom made statements in court today, are Ebud Adiv, 26, and Dan Vered, 28, both Israeli Jews; Daoud Osman Turki, 45, a Haifa Arab who headed the spy and sabotage ring; Subhi Naarani, 28; Annis Karawi, 23, and Simon Haddad, 34.
Turki, described as the initiator of the ring, said, “I do not think I can be loyal to the regime and I make a distinction between regime and Jewish nation.” Adiv. a paratroop combat veteran, said of his activities: “This is my conception of the world for which I tried my best…I think and I am convinced my way is best for the majority of the Jewish nation, the Jewish workers and the Arabs. To incriminate me as a traitor is absurd.”
Dan Vered, a school teacher, made the most extreme political statement. “I promised my wife and the defense counsel that I would not use this trial for political purposes, but now, that verdict was given, I can say that I regard myself a Communist.” He claimed “There are two ways for Jews to follow. One is to serve the Zionists and the imperialists and the other, which I chose, is to act hand-in-hand with Arabs to fight Zionism and imperialism.”
Haifa District Attorney Itzhak Grabli, summing up the prosecution’s case said that the spy ring had aims identical to those of Arab terrorist organizations and would have promoted the final goal of the enemy, Israel’s destruction, were it not for the alertness of Israeli authorities.
Judge Emannuel Slonim, president of the court and his two colleagues, Judges Abraham Friedman and Mrs. Luba Fortuna, stated in their verdict that the accused aimed to undermine the State, eliminate the Zionist regime and commit acts of sabotage against Israel’s security and economy. They rejected Adiv’s contention that he was unaware that his acts, including the passing of military information to enemy agents, were a threat to Israel’s security.
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