Israel has found that terrorist incitement on social media often precedes or inspires terrorist attacks and often arrests Muslims who have made such posts.
Barghouthi was arrested in April and imprisoned for an initial three months under administrative detention, which allows a suspect to be held in custody without being charged. Military prosecutors opted to put him on trial, leading to his sentence on Sunday.
However, he could be released in a month if he is given credit for time served.
Barghouthi’s incitement is open and known. YouTube videos of Barghouthi speaking at Hamas rallies show that he is a vocal supporter of Hamas’s military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
In a video published August 11, 2014, Barghouthi spoke at a Hamas rally in downtown Ramallah and called on West Bank Palestinians to “take up arms to defend their homes.”
During a speech two months later at his university, he praised the actions of the Qassam Brigades and called on listeners to devote themselves to the “resistance” and to “liberating Al-Aqsa and the holy places.”
