Occupied Jerusalem: An Arab accused of passing information to Lebanon's Hezbollah has cut a plea deal that will lessen the charge to working for an illegal organisation, his lawyer said on Thursday.
Omar Saeed was initially accused, alongside another Palestinian of the 1948 areas, Ameer Makhoul of contact with a foreign agent and "assistance to an enemy in time of war."
Makhoul was also charged with aggravated espionage.
A Nazareth court on Thursday approved the plea bargain and lessened the charge to working for an illegal organisation, Saeed's lawyer Orna Cohen said.
"Omar Saeed pleaded guilty to this charge and should be sentenced to seven months in prison," she said.
In 2006, Israel and Hezbollah fought a devastating war that killed more than 1,200 Lebanese, most of them civilians, and more than 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers.
Legal watchdog group Adalah says the "arrests and interrogations of Dr Saeed and Makhoul were conducted in gross violation of their fundamental rights to due process."
"The illegal methods employed against Ameer Makhoul during the initial days of his interrogation include protracted sleep deprivation and continuous interrogation, while being shackled tightly to an undersized chair that was bolted to the floor to prevent it from moving," the watchdog Adalah said.
