Search

Heavily documented is the case of Sirhan Bishara Sirhan, the Palestinian immigrant who in 1969 was convicted of the murder of Robert F. Kennedy. Jabara, at age 28, became part of the defense team (with George Shibley and Luke McKissack of Los Angeles) that successfully appealed Sirhan's original death sentence. Jabara advised the original defense team (Grant B. Cooper and Russell Parson, later dismissed by Sirhan) on the political, historical, and cultural aspects of the case. Interestingly, despite the closed nature of the case, many conspiracies have arisen as to who really killed RFK. Along with files of court documents, interview transcripts, press clippings, and parole information, this subseries details the failed collaboration agreement between the writer Robert B. Kaiser and Sirhan to produce a book about the case.

Jabara acted as a legal advisor in the defense of Sami Esmail in the State of Israel v. Sami Esmail, an Israeli court case. Sami Esmail, a Palestinian citizen and legal resident of the United States was imprisoned in Israel for alleged involvement in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, considered a terrorist organization by the state of Israel. When visiting his dying father in Israel, Esmail was arrested and signed a confession. Esmail and his supporters claimed that he was tortured, held without legal counsel, and coerced into confessing. He was convicted in 1978 for membership to a hostile organization and served 10 months of his 15 month sentence. This subseries contains clippings and correspondence relating to Esmail's trial and subsequent imprisonment, as well as unofficial transcripts of the court proceedings.

In this case, Ziad (sometimes spelled Ziyad) Abu Eain (also spelled Abu Ayn, Abu Ain, and Abu Ein) was accused of setting off a bomb in a market area in Tiberias, Israel. The bombing killed two young boys and injured more than thirty others. After the bombing, Eain traveled to Chicago where he was arrested and Israel demanded his extradition. Abu Eain, however, sought a writ of habeas corpus to prevent extradition, claiming that there was little evidence for his crimes and that the bombing was politically motivated. The court determined that the bombing was not related to political upheaval, and that he would be surrendered to Israel upon a warrant.