Israel court convicts 14-year-old for ‘attempted murder’

By Anees Bargouthi

JERUSALEM (AA) - An Israeli court on Tuesday convicted a Palestinian minor of "attempted murder" and possession of knife, a family member has said.

An Israeli district court convicted Ahmad Manasrah, 14, of attempted murder related to an alleged knife attack in East Jerusalem last year.

"My son did not try to stab anyone; the charges are fabricated," Saleh Manasrah, Ahmad’s father, told Anadolu Agency.

"The court verdict is unfair. He [Ahmed] should not be arrested or kept in jail, even for one moment," the distraught father said.

Israeli prosecutors, for their part, say Ahmed -- along with his cousin, Hassan -- attempted to stab two Israelis in East Jerusalem’s Shufat neighborhood in 2015.

Israeli security forces shot and killed Hassan Manasrah, 15, at the scene.

Ahmed, meanwhile, was seriously injured after being run over and assaulted by Israeli settlers before being arrested.

Last November, the Israeli police were accused of abusing 14-year-old Ahmad Manasrah after a video of his interrogation was posted online.

The footage appeared to show the interrogator pressuring Manasrah, who said he could not remember the incident and said he was suffering mental trauma.