Israel gives Australian 30 months for aiding Hamas

An Israeli court on Thursday sentenced a Palestinian with dual Australian-Jordanian nationality to 30 months in jail for helping the Islamist Hamas movement, judicial sources said. Eyad Rashid Abu Arja was sentenced to two and a half years in jail, along with an 18-month suspended sentence, as part of a plea bargain for pleading guilty to "providing services to an illegal organisation" -- in this case Hamas, a terrorist group under Israeli law. He was detained on March 24, 2011 when he arrived at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, where he was planning to enter the country on his Australian passport. He was living in Saudi Arabia at the time. He was originally charged with "belonging to an illegal organisation." According to the indictment, Abu Arja helped the group with the acquisition of various computer devices, electronic equipment, encrypted mobile phones, panoramic photo equipment and technology for guiding missiles. In the indictment, the prosecution said he had worked for Hamas for four years, and stressed "the seriousness of his being recruited to help the terrorist activities of Hamas with the aim of harming the state of Israel." After expressing his intention to visit Israel, he was then tasked with photographing commercial centres, collecting maps and making contact with commercial businesses, the indictment alleged. The defence said Abu Arja, a computer technician, had expressed "sincere remorse" for his actions. He now has 45 days in which to appeal the ruling.