But they were not arrested for drunk driving.
They were arrested and sentenced for "publicly breaking the Ramadan fast."
The Magistrate's Court of Nablus, in handing down the sentence, stressed "the obligation to pursue violators of the sanctity of the holy month" and recommended that judicial authorities be vigilant both about violations of the law as well as about "assault on the sensibilities of Muslim fasters."
Also in Nablus, three people were arrested for eating and smoking behind a vegetable market. Police caught them red-handed and arrested them on charges of breaking the fast publicly.
The Nablus police chief warned all citizens against violating the sanctity of the holy month of Ramadan, warning that anyone who breaks the fast before sundown will go to prisom.
In Tulkarem, another man was arrested for smoking in public during the day. That case is being referred to the public prosecutor in that town.
The police in Tulkarem issued a statement saying that they will not allow anyone to violate the sanctity of the holy month of Ramadan, saying they have taken security measures to ensure the right of all citizens to maintain a spiritual atmosphere during the month.
Imagine the outcry if Israel would enforce similar laws during Jewish fast days, like the one coming up July 24, which is similar to Ramadan in the sense that it is from dawn to nighttime. If Israel would arrest people for eating in public it would be widely derided as a theocratic state with no respect for the human rights of non-Jews or non-religious Jews.
But when the Palestinian Authority does it, it is merely that that they are protecting the venerable traditions of their people and the alleged human rights of the religious Muslims not to be offended.
Amazing how in both cases, human rights are invoked to realize opposite results.
Equally amazing is that the hypocrites who hold these contradictory positions have no qualms about it.
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| If Jews tried to eat a meal at that spot, it would cause an international outcry about their "desecration." |
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