On July 21, 2026, an Israeli Magistrate's court in Jerusalem sentenced journalist Alaa Sous to nine months of community service, following her conviction on incitement charges over posts on her Instagram account, her lawyer Attorney Waseem Darawsheh told CPJ. The court set September 10, 2026, as the start of her sentence.
Furthermore, the court imposed a six-month suspended prison sentence, unactioned for three years, on the condition that Sous does not commit an offense under the Anti-Terrorism Law or a violent crime against a person during that period. In addition, she was fined 2,000 shekels (US$652), with a 20-day prison sentence to be served if the fine is not paid.
Sous, a Palestinian freelance photographer who posts to her 163,000 followers on Instagram and contributes to the Jordan-based Roya TV, was detained on April 3, 2023, and sent to Moscovia Detention Centre, before being placed under house arrest until April 10.
The prosecution filed the indictment against her on July 24, 2024, more than 15 months after her arrest. The trial took place while she was released from detention, Darawsheh told CPJ.
Darawsheh also said that, despite the conviction, the ruling represents an achievement under the current circumstances, as the court opted for community service instead of a custodial prison sentence.
The prosecution had sought a custodial prison sentence of 27 to 34 months, while the defense argued that any sentence should be limited to community service.
Darawsheh added that, in his view, the limited sentence demonstrates that the case is punitive in nature and tied to journalists' work and publications, rather than reflecting genuine security offenses warranting imprisonment.
He explained that he argued before the court that Sous is a journalist and that the posts for which she was prosecuted were published during her journalistic coverage and did not contain any incitement.
In October 2023, Israeli intelligence interrogated Sous and banned her from covering inside Al- Aqsa Mosque. In November 2022, Sous was assaulted by an Israeli police officer while covering inside Al-Aqsa Mosque, in an incident that was condemned by Ahmad Tibi, member of the Israeli Knesset.