Court extends Fahima's remand

Ashdod Magistrate's Court yesterday extended by 12 days the remand of Tali Fahima, the left-wing activist held for the past four months on suspicion of aiding Palestinian terrorists.

Her status was also switched from administrative to criminal detainee. She will be moved from the Neveh Tirza women's prison to the Shikma prison in Ashkelon, where many of the convicts are security prisoners.

At the hearing yesterday at Ashdod Magistrate's Court, Judge Ariel Hazak heard from the Shin Bet and police that new evidence against Fahima had been gathered while she was in administrative detention.

Judge Hazak was presented with a secret report including new information about Fahima and detailing her alleged offenses, and he was informed that these offenses were committed in the course of this year.

He ruled that there appears to be evidence tying Fahima to the alleged offenses, adding that these are different from the allegations brought against her in the past. Fahima was arrested four months ago on suspicion of helping to plan terror attacks, because of her ties to the head of the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades in Jenin, Zakariya Zubeidi.

At yesterday's hearing, Fahima complained to the judge about her prison conditions: "I request that while the investigation continues they allow me to sleep, that they not deny me food and that I not be sexually harassed as a means of pressure. I was interrogated and went through that nightmare. I request that this time the level of abuse be lower."