Palestinian who collaborated with Israel sues Al Jazeera for 'exposing identity'

A Palestinian man who collaborated with the Israeli army and Israel's Shin Bet security service is suing Qatar-based broadcaster Al Jazeera claiming that the Arab media giant caused him damages by publicising his identity.

The unidentified Palestinian from Nablus, who goes by the pseudonym of Ahmed, says his identity was exposed in a 2014 interview published by Al Jazeera despite requesting anonymity, according to a report by Israeli media outlet Maariv.

Whilst Al Jazeera blurred his face in the picture, they had allegedly published his full name, causing his family to sever ties with him after finding out about his collaboration with the Israeli agencies.

“The plaintiff cannot visit his [Ahmed’s] family today, because his parents and cousins are extremely angry with him and are likely to murder him if they meet,” a lawsuit filed this week with the Jerusalem District Court claimed. 

Ahmed says he believes Al Jazeera set him up.

"Today, because of this article, I live in the streets,” Ahmed said.

“I die every day a million times. When my brother and nephew died, I couldn’t even accompany them on their last journey and I am now undertaking psychiatric treatment”, he added.

“No body speaks to me.”

Ahmed is suing for 10 million Israeli shekles, or just over US$2,700,000.

The New Arab has contacted Al Jazeera for a comment.

Collaborating with the Israeli army and the Shin Bet security services is seen as a heinous act by much of Palestinian society in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Vast parts of the West Bank, including Arab East Jerusalem has been under direct Israeli military occupation since 1967, and Gaza has been under a crippling Israeli blockade since 2007.

Israel has waged three major wars killing thousands of civilians in Gaza in the past 12 years.

The Shin Bet security services play a major role in faciliating the occupation, and have been accused of human rights violations in the course of their interrogation and intelligence-gathering tactics.

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