February 8, 2002	Friday	Ziqa’ad 24, 1422

AL QUDS, Feb 7: The Tel Aviv District Court decided on Thursday to extend until further notice the remand of Mustafa Dirani and Sheikh Ahmed Karim Obeid, two senior members of the Hezbollah organization who have been in an Israeli jail since they were kidnapped by Israeli forces years ago.

Obeid has been in an Israeli jail since 1989 and Dirani since 1994.

The Israeli Ha’aretz daily quoted attorney Devorah Chen, responsible for the State Prosecution’s security cases, as saying that releasing the two would endanger state security, since they would renew their activities in the Hezbollah.

The Iranian-backed Hezbollah is in the forefront of anti-Israeli activities in south Lebanon.

Attorney Zvi Rish, who represented Dirani and Obeid, countered that it was unacceptable to imprison individuals without trial for such a lengthy period of time.

“If there are criminal accusations against them,” Rish said, “they should stand trial.”

They were both abducted in an attempt — so far fruitless — by Israel to gain information about air force navigator Ron Arad, who was shot down over Lebanon in 1985, and whose fate is unknown.—dpa