West Bank Lawyers to Boycott Military Courts Over Detainees

West Bank lawyers said Monday they will boycott military courts for one month to protest what they called a complete lack of due process for Palestinian detainees.

The announcement coincided with the demolition of two homes in the occupied West Bank and came a day after the banishment of 15 Palestinians, fueling new charges of human rights violations by Israel.

In the West Bank and Gaza Strip, seven Palestinians were wounded Monday in four separate clashes between troops and stone-throwing youths, Arab hospital officials said. The army said it was checking the reports.

In Gaza City, Palestinians staged a spontaneous strike to protest Sunday’s expulsions. Six of those banished were from Gaza.

An army official denied the lawyers’ allegations and defended Israeli actions to quell the nearly 13-month Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation.

“We believe we have a liberal judicial system in the territories, but we should not be judged in the same context as Western countries that are not in a state of war,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

At a news conference, Palestinian lawyer Bahij Tamini said his clients are being denied their rights at every step in the military legal system as part of a strategy to crush the uprising, known by the Arabic word intifada.

The boycott is a “cry of protest, one last attempt to get through to the authorities,” Tamini said.

He said attorneys face difficulties in locating clients; attorneys frequently are barred from meeting with their clients; bail requests are routinely denied; and trial dates are often not coordinated with attorneys.

“We feel handcuffed and chained ourselves,” Tamini said.