A new hearing in the trial of Sheikh Kamal Khatib—part of the “Habbet al-Karameh” (Dignity Uprising) case—was held on Sunday morning, 7 December 2025, at the Nazareth Magistrate’s Court. The session was dedicated to hearing the testimony of the defense’s witness.

During the hearing, the court listened to the testimony of journalist Jamal Amara from Kafr Kanna, who was the sole witness to take the stand. Amara spoke about Sheikh Kamal Khatib’s role in community reform and his religious and social activities, stressing that the Sheikh’s speeches and positions had no connection whatsoever to the events that took place in the town in May 2021.

In his testimony, Amara recounted the incident in which he rescued a Jewish citizen during a demonstration in Kafr Kanna amid the events of the Dignity Uprising. He highlighted the extensive Israeli media coverage of the incident and their joint appearance on a live Israeli radio program to discuss what had happened. Amara added that Sheikh Khatib praised his actions during the Friday sermon, affirming that had he been in Amara’s place, he would have done the same—an acknowledgment that was warmly received by worshippers and local residents.

The defense team presented the court with a recording from the sermon in which Sheikh Khatib commended the witness’s conduct, while the state prosecutor objected to the attached Hebrew translation, claiming it was “inaccurate.”

Major Legal Irregularities in the Trial

The hearing took place amid continued assertions by the defense—represented by Adalah–The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights and Meezaan – Organization for Human Rights—that the trial has been fundamentally flawed since its onset. Chief among these flaws is the fact that the presiding judge issued the conviction after retiring, in clear violation of the law, prompting the defense to request the annulment of the entire indictment.

Attorney Hassan Jabareen, Director of Adalah, stated after the session that what occurred constitutes an unprecedented incident in the history of Israeli courts. He explained that “the conviction was issued by a judge who was no longer exercising judicial authority following changes in the composition of the panel.” He emphasized that the defense will address this issue in detail during the appeal, noting that “the conviction is being treated as if it were valid, despite its clear legal invalidity.”

Jabareen added that the prosecution intends to request an actual prison sentence—an extension, he said, of the “theatrical nature” of the 2021 arrest. He described the request for imprisonment as “extremely extreme” in the legal context of the period in question, particularly compared to sentencing norms prior to the post–7 October 2023 environment.

He stressed that the defense aims to influence the sentencing decision through the witness testimony presented, concluding: “Even if no prison sentence is imposed, we will still appeal the conviction itself.”

A Politically Motivated Prosecution from the Very Beginning

Attorney Omar Khamaisi stated that the judge who issued the conviction had already retired before delivering the verdict, “yet she issued a detailed ruling that included both a conviction and an acquittal, in clear contradiction to Israeli law.” He described the incident as “unprecedented in Israeli courts and indicative of a clear legal defect,” adding that “healthy judicial systems simply do not accept such practices.”

Khamaisi explained that the case will proceed through appeals before the District Court and subsequently the Supreme Court. He affirmed that the overall circumstances of the case clearly demonstrate that it was “a political prosecution from the very first moment,” and that Sheikh Khatib’s statements fall within “the natural discourse of Palestinian citizens of Israel regarding holy sites and racist assaults by Jewish extremists.”

He noted that today’s testimony aimed to “highlight Sheikh Khatib’s positive and influential role within the community,” stressing that the defense will continue its efforts until the judicial process concludes. Khamaisi added that the next hearing is scheduled to be held next year at the Nazareth court.