Israeli Politicsupdated 30m ago2 min read
MapIsraeli Forces Release Palestinian Journalist Abed Abou Shhadeh After Five Days Without Charge
“held alone in a 2-meter-by-2-meter cell for 24 hours a day.”
“part of ‘political measures’ intended not only for him ‘but to intimidate Arab society as a whole’.”
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL · Cropped for layout
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Palestinian journalist Abed Abu Shhadeh held five days without charge. Released on Sunday; no charges filed against him.
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Five Days, No Charges
Israeli authorities released Palestinian journalist Abed Abou Shhadeh after detaining him for five days without charge, and Abou Shhadeh said the detention was part of “political measures” intended “not only for him but to intimidate Arab society as a whole”. Israeli police and Shin Bet had detained Abou Shhadeh in a Shin Bet intelligence facility in Petah Tikva after police raided his home in Jaffa and suspected “contact with a foreign agent”.
Adalah, which is part of his defence team, said the accusation relied on a public conversation with Palestinian intellectual Azmi Bishara in Qatar, and Abou Shhadeh’s legal counsel Hadeel Abu Salih said “It was obvious from the first day, from Thursday, that the police doesn’t have, any evidence in this context”. Police and the Shin Bet decided not to seek an extension of his detention, and Abou Shehadeh was released on Sunday under minimal restrictions without appearing in court.
Jaffa Raid and Court
The Times of Israel said about 15 masked officers from the police and Shin Bet raided Abou Shahadeh’s Jaffa home late at night, detained him without explanation, and seized his computer and phone. Abou Shahadeh described being held alone in a 2-meter-by-2-meter cell for 24 hours a day, and he said, “You start to appreciate the things we take for granted”.
No charges were filed after Abou Shehadeh was released from custody five days after his Wednesday arrest, and he decried his time in detention as “wrongful” and “completely baseless.” Al Jazeera said Abou Shhadeh’s five-day detention was “part of the campaign against the votes of the Arabs and Palestinians in Israel,” and it quoted Adalah founder Hassan Jabareen saying Israel sought to “delegitimise their votes”.
Political Stakes and Pressure
Abou Shhadeh told Arab48 that his arrest was “politically motivated,” and he said, “We must not be afraid. We are on the right path, fighting for equality and justice for all,” after his release.
Jewish Currents reported that incoming Jewish Democratic members of the House of Representatives wrote to Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, and it quoted their letter saying, “Whatever one’s politics, a democracy’s legitimacy depends on the freedom of its journalists”.
The Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court let police keep Abou Shahadeh in custody until Sunday, partially accepting officers’ request for an eight-day extension of the journalist’s remand, and a second remand hearing scheduled for Sunday morning was canceled following his release.
Abou Shhadeh was held in a Shin Bet intelligence facility in Petah Tikva and his detention followed a suspicion of “contact with a foreign agent,” while the legal rights group Adalah argued the interrogation focused on a published interview with Azmi Bishara.