A helicopter flies over the downtown skyline, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, as seen from the Cleveland Clinic hospital, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, April 20, 2020. Photo: Reuters / Christopher Pike.

i24 News – The execution of the Israeli citizen Fida Kiwan was suspended by a United Arab Emirates court on Tuesday, Israel’s Ynetnews reported.

The court decided to postpone the verdict until the next hearing in two weeks, where her lawyer Ahmad Sa’id al-Mazrawi will present a new defense against the charges, according to the Israeli daily.

In April, the 43-year-old Fida Kiwan was sentenced to death, accused of smuggling half a kilogram of cocaine into the Gulf state.

She reportedly went to Dubai for work at the invitation of a Palestinian acquaintance last year, and a search of her apartment shortly after turned up the drugs.

From the beginning, Fida Kiwan and her lawyer argued that the purpose of her visit was not to deal drugs in the strictly Sharia-governed state.

In April, the Israeli Foreign Minister said that the incident was being dealt with through diplomatic channels.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is aware of the case and handling it through the Department of Israelis Abroad in the Consular Division and Israeli representatives in the United Arab Emirates,” a spokesman from the ministry said.