Israel automatically convicts Palestinian captives

A moderate human rights group under Zionist regime unveiled that the regime's military court system for Palestinians in the West Bank produces almost automatic convictions.

A report by the Yesh Din organization found that in 2006, more than 99.7 percent of those accused are found guilty, some 95 percent of the cases end with a plea bargain and the average hearing is just two minutes long.

Yesh Din, in its inquiry, the first of its kind, found major failings in the court's due process:

Hearings were held in Hebrew and the Arabic-speaking suspects often did not understand the charges brought against them, they were unable to present a full defense or have an effective counsel.

"Most are detained in Israel and their attorneys are notable to meet them," said Michael Sfard, Yesh Din's legal counsel.

In addition, minors were often tried as adults and detained at length before being charged.

Sfard said the 0.29 percent acquittal rating in 2006 (23out of 9,123) was most jarring.

"We think that this is an outrageous number which clouds the presumption of innocence," he said.

"It is unreasonable that a justice system will have such a low figure of victory of the defense."

More than 150,000 Palestinians have been prosecuted in the military courts since 1990, and about half the 9,000 prisoners currently being held in Israel were sent to prison by the military courts, according to Yesh Din.

Yesh Din's board includes Michael Ben Yair, a former Israeli attorney general, retired Gen. Shlomo Lahat, aformer Tel Aviv mayor, and Shulamit Aloni, a former cabinet minister.