Israel court convicts Palestinian poet for 'incitement'

By Abdel Raouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM

Israel’s Central Court in the city of Nazareth on Thursday convicted Palestinian poet Darin Tatour for inciting “terrorism” on social-networking platforms.

A resident of the town of Al-Rina in the northern Galilee region, Tatour was arrested by Israel in late 2015. Shortly afterward, she was placed under house arrest, where she remains until now.

According to Israeli daily Haaretz, the indictment against Tatour cites one of her poems -- “Resist, my people, resist” -- along with comments she posted on Facebook.

The court is slated to deliver its sentence against the poet sometime later this month.

Arab citizens of Israel say they are frequently accused of “inciting violence” against Israel while the Israeli authorities turn a blind eye to extremist Israeli Jews who call for the harming of Palestinians.