DETROIT — A Palestinian American community organizer who was indicted for allegedly lying on her U.S. citizenship application about a conviction in an Israeli military court decades ago, has rejected a plea agreement which would have revoked her citizenship and forced her deportation in exchange for avoiding jail time.

Rasmea Odeh, 66, dismissed her attorney after deciding not to accept the plea. She appointed Michael Deutsch of the People’s Law Office in Chicago, as her new lawyer. 

Odeh lives in Chicago, but will be tried in Detroit, where she filed her citizenship application 10 years ago. 

On Wednesday, May 28, U.S. District Judge Paul Borman pushed Odeh’s trial from June 10 to Oct. 21, at Odeh’s request. Odeh had asked the judge to postpone the trial, so that her new attorney could familiarize himself with the case. 

Deutsch said Odeh did not accept the plea bargain because she wanted the jury to determine her guilt or innocence.

“She did not feel guilty,” he said. “She wanted her day in court. She wanted to provide her evidence and have her fate decided by 12 people from outside the system,” he said. “She has been in this country for 20 years. She served her community and she is a well-respected woman. Now they want to throw her out of the country for something that happened in 1969. I don’t think that’s fair.”

Federal officers arrested Odeh at her Chicago home on Oct. 22, 2013. She is currently free on bail.

Odeh was found guilty of “membership of an illegal organization” in Israel in 1970. She was convicted for being a member of the Popular Front of Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and participating in three bombings claimed by the organization, one of which targeted a marketplace.

Odeh served 10 years in Israeli prisons before being released in a prisoner-exchange deal between Israel and the PFLP.

She immigrated to the United States 20 years ago and has been living in Chicago, where she became a known activist, advocating for immigrant and women’s rights. She applied for citizenship in 2004 and did not disclose the conviction in Israel on her application.

If convicted, Odeh could be stripped of her citizenship and face up to 10 years in prison. 

Deutsch pointed out that the prosecution has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Odeh lied knowingly and intentionally on her naturalization application. 

The Rasmea Defense Committee, which is led by a group of activists, has been demanding that Barbara McQuade, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, drops the charges immediately.  

“We are extremely happy that such a prominent attorney as Michael Deutsch is on the case and that we now have more time to continue our organizing to pressure the government to drop the charge,” said Rania Shkairat, a member of the committee in Chicago. “Rasmea is a wonderful role model for women like me who have dedicated their lives to social justice and we will do everything in our power to clear her name.”

Judge Borman has refused to accept pre-trial motions. Deutsch said the ban on pre-trial motions might come in the way of his presenting evidence. The attorney said torture in Israeli prisons, Odeh’s psychological state in 2004 and the political aspects of the trial could be used as possible evidence in Odeh’s favor. “I will use every argument that makes sense to the 12 people in this room,” he said referring to the jury.

Odeh’s supporters have labeled the trial a political “witch hunt.” They allege that the federal government is going after the 66-year-old woman to deal a blow to Palestinian activism.

“This immigration charge is nothing but a pretext,” Muhammad Sankari of Chicago’s Coalition to Protect People’s Rights said in a statement. “Rasmea is being targeted because of who she is, a Palestinian Arab Muslim woman who continues to organize for Palestinian liberation and human rights for all people in Chicago and across the world.”

Deutsch said Odeh might still be targeted for deportation even if she is acquitted. He said the federal government could challenge Odeh’s citizenship administratively if she wins the legal battle. However, he added that he hopes the government would drop the case after the matter is decided in court.

Odeh might not find a place to relocate to if she is deported. While she has a valid Jordanian passport, it is not clear whether the kingdom would welcome her to resettle there. 

On Wednesday, about a dozen of Rasmea’s friends and supporters attended the pre-trial hearing. Afterward, Odeh was smiling as she greeted everybody in the courtroom.  

Palestinian activists are planning to rally outside of the federal courthouse during the trial. Deutsch said Odeh’s supporters’ presence inside the courtroom might have an influence on the jury because visible advocacy from ordinary people would cast doubt on the government’s claims that she was a terrorist.