A Palestinian state security court in Nablus sentenced...

A Palestinian state security court in Nablus sentenced to death Allan Bani Odeh, who was convicted of helping Israel assassinate a top Hamas terrorist. The judge found him guilty both of spying for Israel and taking part in the November 23 murder of his distant cousin, Ibrahim Bani Odeh, a local leader of the armed wing of Hamas. "The court has decided to hang the criminal Allan Bani Odeh until death," the verdict statement said. It was the first time a Palestinian court has sentenced a convicted collaborator to death. There are no appeals against state security court verdicts but the Palestinian President, Yasser Arafat, must approve an execution before it is carried out.