Prosecutor Elisabeth Shapiro continued direct examination of Avi on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008 by further inquiring about the Islamic Charitable Society of Hebron. Avi talked about other charity leaders whom he considered Hamas figures. In addition, prosecutors played a video seized from the Young Muslim Society in Hebron. The tape depicted Palestinian children in black clothing holding fake shoulder missiles and marching on a stage during a kindergarten ceremony.

Some jurors sighed, yawned and constantly glanced up at the clock on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2008 as they continued to hear the testimony of Avi, an anonymous Israeli witness.

Jurors anxiously leaned toward the screens on Monday, Oct. 27, 2008 as defense attorney Aaron Mysliwiec showed them the rest of a video that prosecutors cut off as he concluded his cross-examination of FBI agent Lara Burns. In the excerpt, a man said the Palestinian deportees whom Israel dropped on a deserted Lebanese mountaintop in 1992 were not just from Hamas and Islamic Jihad like government attorneys alleged.

As the fifth week of the Holy Land Foundation Retrial wrapped up, jurors were still wide awake as defense attorneys continued to cross-examine FBI agent Lara Burns on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2008.

Jurors listened closely on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008 when prosecutors played the rest of a revealing, honest phone call between defendants Ghassan Elashi and Shukri Abu-Baker as the second testimony of FBI agent Lara Burns continued.

In the 1996 call, the companions and collogues, discussed a U.S. regulation that prevented aid from reaching a Palestinian hospital.

The jury seemed focused and awake on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2008 despite the prosecution’s daylong dry and dreary arguments. As the fifth week of the Holy Land Foundation retrial continued, government attorneys called back FBI agent Lara Burns as their next witness.

Twelfth Witness

The courtroom camera was covered and the doors were locked on Monday, Oct. 20, 2008 as prosecutors prepared to put Mohamed Shorbagi’s testimony on hold to call their next witness: A secret agent with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF.) The 40 or so attendees—excluding close family members of the defendants, several FBI agents and one IRS agent—were asked to leave the room and listen to the testimony from an overflow room on the top floor.

Shame seemed to have smeared off the face of former Holy Land Foundation volunteer Mohamed Shorbagi on Friday, Oct. 17, 2008 as he continued his testimony against the defendants. He seemed more confident, and his voice seemed more assertive, with fewer discussions about the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

Solidarity was clearly alive with nearly 100 supporters packing the courtroom on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2008 as defense attorneys continued cross-examining FBI agent Robert Miranda. The jury heard five testimonies throughout the long, strenuous day, which ended at 7 p.m.

Prosecutor Jim Jacks brought up a few more security documents that were not found in the HLF offices on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2008 as he continued direct examining FBI agent Robert Miranda a fourth day. The supposed security documents were found in homes of individuals who are not defendants in the HLF case. Jacks displayed a document showing that the HLF got a counter-surveillance sweep done at their Richardson office.