A Palestinian human rights lawyer and a youth activist have been handed suspended prison sentences and fines by Israel after being convicted over slogans chanted at an anti-war protest against Israel's assault on Gaza , in a case rights groups say criminalises Palestinian political expression.
Human rights lawyer Ahmad Khalefa and activist Mohammad Jabareen became the first Palestinians to be convicted for chanting slogans at a demonstration after an Israeli court found them guilty of indirectly "inciting terrorism" and "identifying with a terrorist organisation".
The case stems from their participation in a peaceful protest in Umm al-Fahm on 19 October 2023, days after Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza.
On Monday, the court sentenced both men to six-month suspended prison terms and ordered them to pay fines of 5,000 shekels (around $1,670) each. The court stopped short of imposing jail sentences, citing the lengthy periods they had already spent in detention.
Jabareen, 31, spent eight months in pre-trial detention following his arrest, while Khalefa, 42, spent four months behind bars. Both men have remained under house arrest since their release.
The pair were charged under Israel's counter-terrorism legislation in November 2023 after leading chants at the protest, which took place two days after the bombing of Gaza's Al-Ahli Hospital . They were among 11 demonstrators arrested when Israeli police violently dispersed the gathering.
Prosecutors argued that slogans used by Khalefa and Jabareen violated Israel's 2016 Counter-Terrorism Law.
The charges centred on chants including "With soul and blood, we redeem you, oh Gaza!" and "There is no solution except uprooting the occupier", slogans widely used in Palestinian political demonstrations that do not explicitly advocate violence or mention Hamas or any other banned group.
Rights advocates say the prosecution marks a dangerous escalation in Israel's crackdown on Palestinians inside Israel since October 2023 and reflects the growing use of anti-terror legislation to suppress dissent and expressions of solidarity with Gaza.
Adalah, which represented the two men, described the proceedings as an "unprecedented prosecution of protected speech" aimed at criminalising legitimate political protest.
The case forms part of a broader campaign that has seen a sharp increase in arrests, interrogations and prosecutions of Palestinian citizens of Israel over speech, social media posts and participation in demonstrations since the start of the Gaza war.
Attorney Hassan Jabareen, director of Adalah and part of the defence team, warned that the ruling would have a chilling effect on Palestinian political activism.
"There is a real danger that we, as Palestinians inside Israel, may find ourselves convicted in court because of peaceful demonstrations and slogans," he said.
Jabareen said the conviction would be appealed.
Following the ruling, Khalefa accused Israel's judiciary of enabling the criminalisation of Palestinian political activity.
"Unless there is clear solidarity and organised struggle against what are called courts, the future consequences will be severe," he said.