JERUSALEM / AA

An Israeli court on Monday sentenced Sheikh Kamal Khatib to 9 months of community service and a fine, after convicting him of 'incitement to violence' and 'indirect incitement to terrorism', while his lawyers objected to the decision and described it as 'a trial of Palestinian political speech'.

The case is part of a legal accountability for the speech of prominent Arab figures within Israel, where Sheikh Kamal Khatib is one of the most prominent banned Islamic leaders.

Khatib was deputy head of the Islamic Movement until its ban in 2015, before taking over the chairmanship of the Freedoms Committee in the Supreme Follow-up Committee for Arab Citizens within Israel.

The Follow-up Committee is the highest civil representative body for Arab citizens in Israel.

The Arab legal center 'Adalah' in Israel said in a statement, a copy of which was received by Anadolu, that the Nazareth Magistrate's Court imposed on Khatib a fine of 15,000 shekels (about $4,900).

It added that the court imposed 9 months of community service, along with a suspended 10-month prison sentence for 3 years, should he commit any of the offenses for which he was convicted.

Community service means performing work to serve the community instead of actual imprisonment, according to hours and conditions set by the court and under official supervision.

The court rejected the request of the Israeli prosecution which insisted on a prison sentence of between 30 and 50 months, and also acquitted him of the charge of 'identification with a terrorist organization'.

The defense team, which includes Adalah and the human rights organization 'Mizan', said the ruling confirms that the prosecution's request was 'extreme and lacked any reasonable basis'.

It added: 'There was from the beginning no justification for filing an indictment against Khatib, nor for his conviction due to publications that clearly fall within the scope of freedom of expression guaranteed to the Arab public.'

The Nazareth Magistrate's Court convicted Khatib on June 30, 2025, over two social media posts and a sermon he delivered during the events of May 2021, according to Adalah.

The center said police arrested Khatib in May 2021, by decision of the Israeli government and based on recommendations of the General Security Service 'Shin Bet', which claimed his statements and posts 'constitute incitement to violence and terrorism'.

It added that the prosecution later filed an indictment based on two social media posts and a speech given by Khatib during the May 2021 events.

The content of the posts and speech addressed Israeli attacks on the Al-Aqsa Mosque and worshipers there, and police violence against Palestinians and supporters of the residents of the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in Jerusalem.

Adalah noted that Khatib underwent, over more than 5 years, lengthy legal proceedings that were marred by multiple legal and procedural issues.

The defense team said: 'This case is a trial of Palestinian political speech and the Palestinian narrative.'

It added that the file was marred from the moment of arrest by 'political considerations and exceptional measures,' and ended with a conviction based on a 'broad and dangerous reading of incitement crimes.'

Israel pursues Palestinians over posts on social media platforms, on charges it describes as 'incitement,' and the arrests have included doctors, lawyers, and activists in the West Bank, Jerusalem, and within the Palestinian interior (Israel).

The ruling raises controversy over the limits of freedom of speech for Arab leaders in Israel, especially in the context of the events unfolding on the Palestinian scene. It also reflects the Israeli judiciary's tendency to adopt alternative penalties to actual imprisonment in these cases, which the prosecution rejects.