TAKE ACTION NOW!

1.Call and demand the release of Khader Adnan, who has not been charged with any crime but instead is being held under Administrative Detention.
Call the Israeli Embassy in Washington DC (1.202.364.5500) OR your local Embassy (for a list, click here).

Call the office of Jeffrey Feltman, Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs (1.202.647.7209)

Demand that Jeffrey Feltman bring this issue urgently to his counterparts in Israel and raise the question of Khader Adnan’s administrative detention.

2. Organize a protest outside your local Israeli Embassy (for a list, click here).

Post your local actions to the Khader Adnan facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Free-Khader-Adnan/236953309725144

Help us spread the word with social media after you take action.
Download this photo of Khader Adnan to use for your social media profile pictures and click on the suggested messages below and they will be automatically tweeted.

Tweet Now: Take Action Now for #KhaderAdnan http://samidoun.ca/?p=133 #Palestine #Israel

Tweet Now: I just called my local #Israel Embassy to demand #KhaderAdnan’s release. Join me now! ListofEmbassies: http://bit.ly/xoEzsS

Tweet Now: Sign Petition to #FreeKhader hunger-striking Palestinian prisoner http://samidoun.ca/?p=116 #palestine #KhaderAdnan

3. Other Actions

To contact the authorities within Israel, see Addameer’s appeal.
Other ideas for actions and a letter-writing template can be found on this action alert from Samidoun (The Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network).
See Amnesty International’s report and appeal to action.

Khader Adnan, the father of two daughters and with a third child on the way, is a baker, a Masters student in Economics at Birzeit University, and a political activist. Khader, was arrested on December 17, 2011 by masked soldiers who raided his home in the middle of the night (the village of Arrabe near Jenin in the occupied West Bank). Between the 18th and the 29th of January 2012, he was subjected to almost daily cruel and inhumane interrogations. During interrogations, he was shackled to a crooked chair with his hands tied behind his back in a position that caused him back pain. He said that interrogators threatened him constantly and verbally abused him and his family.

Khader was given a four-month administrative detention order on January 8, 2012. Khader’s interrogation period has ended but he refuses to accept the unjust system of administrative detention [more details], continuing his strike on the principle that such detention is a violation of his rights and identity. Administrative detention, a regular practice of the Israeli occupation, violates the internationally-recognized right to a fair trial. International standards for fair trial must be upheld for all political detainees, including those accused of violence, even under states of emergency. A military judge reviewed the administrative detention order on February 1, 2012 and is expected to inform lawyers of her decision later on this week.

Meanwhile, Khader’s health is deteriorating rapidly and doctors don’t expect him to be able to survive for much longer.

Israeli forces protected the settlers and fired tear gas and rubber bullets towards Beit Ommar residents. Later, soldiers detained Ahmad Ibrahim Al-Alami at the entrance to Beit Ommar.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said she was looking into the report of the teen’s detention, but said soldiers had earlier fired warning shots after four Palestinians approached the soldiers escorting a “group of hikers enjoying a coordinated hike with the Israeli army near Beit Ommar.”

During one of the raids this past week, the soldiers broke into several residences at 3am. The Palestinians were taken from their homes without any explanation given as to why they were being arrested. They were taken away in jeeps to the Gush Etzion settlement which houses a jail and interrogation center. The soldiers broke into an additional home but their intended target managed to escape, and has not been found by the army. The soldiers nonetheless broke many things in the house such as tables and chairs, and harassed the escaped man’s parents.

The names and ages of the arrested are below:

Mohamad Jamal Alkam, 17 years old
Mo’ath Jamal Alkam, 18 years old
Ibrahim Yousef Sabarnah, 21 years old
Khader Fathi Sabarnah, 16 years old
Hamzah Nawaf Sabarnah, 22 years old
Mohamad Shawkat Alkam, 24 years old
Ra’ed Mahmoud Sabarnah, 39 years old
Yousef Mahmoud Alami, 23 years old

The soldiers told the arrested families that their aim was to “check” the homes. However, the time of the break-ins and the harassment and destruction caused suggests the main reason was simply to disturb the families and cause alarm to the community. The soldiers did not seem to be looking for anything in particular

During the day the families celebrated with dances and speeches. At a certain point, Israeli Forces attacked the gathering shooting tear gas, rubber bullets, and using the Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD), otherwise known as the scream. LRAD emits high pitched frequencies that have the capacity of leaving those affected dizzy, nauseous, and at times incapacitated. At least four people were injured in the attack, including Linda Shalash, a reporter for Al Quds TV.

Several prisoners from Beit Ommar were released on Sunday as part of the prisoner exchange including Majde Za’aqiq, a member of the National Committee Against the Wall and Settlements in the village. Majde was arrested last August at the weekly unarmed demonstration in Beit Ommar, and he spent the last four months in Israeli prisons. Several Beit Ommar residents were also among those attacked outside of Ofer prison while they were waiting for their family members to be released.

Za’aqiq has been detained for 3 month and is charged for one more month. This is part of the Israeli apartheid strategy to suppress the Palestinian non-violent peace activism. Madje was subjected to a bail of 5500 shekels (about 1500 USD.) as a condition for his release.

Any donation is welcomed.
Support Madje

The story of detention started 25/8/2011 – the month of holy Ramadan. Madje was fasting. The day of detention was a Saturday, the day we usually go to protest -non-violent march, against the settlement and the Israeli apartheid wall. Our weapons that day consisted of: the power of right, banners, flags, good will, dreams, hopes, the justice of our cause and our defense of Palestinian human rights and humanity as a whole.
These humanitarian weapons terrorized the Israeli occupation army, who were heavily armed awaiting our arrival to pounce on us. We were accompanied with dozens of Israeli and international peace and solidarity activists who want to bring peace, freedom, justice and victory for Palestinians and Israelis, and to the citizens of Beit Ommar whose land was seized at gun point by the Israeli occupation and the settlers.

When we got to the outskirts of the settlement of Karmi Tsur which is built on Palestinian land of Beit Ommar farmers, the Israeli soldiers attacked and beat us, and they used tear gas, rubber bullets and above all firing live bullets at demonstrators, resulting in some injuries due to being beaten and some cases of choking due to inhaleing gas.

Seven participants were arrested – 5 International and Israeli solidarity activists and 2 Palestinian activists, 5 were released late at night same day, and they continued the arrest of two, one of them a Spanish citizen, was released after two days, the other was Majde Za’aqiq member of the National Committee Against the Wall and settlement – Beit Ommar. The arrest of Majde came after the protest was over. Majde he was sitting in a car, and suddenly the occupation army soldiers took him out of the car where he was waiting for us, arrested him, hit him and insulted him.

After we returned to our homes, we decided to go to visit the sons of Majde: Qassam, is 5 years old and suffers from permanent hearing loss and studies in Ma’an school for people with special needs in Hebron. Kotaibah is three years old. Once we got to Majde`s house, Qassam shouted out loud: “where is my father?” We did not know how to answer him at that moment, but one of us answered and said he went to work and will stay for a few days but when he comes back he will bring you a lot of gifts, but Qassam in an angry voice said: “just take me to my father, I do not want gifts, I want my father”, and burst into tears. When Kotaibah saw his brother crying, he burst into tears too.
We could not tolerate this situation, and we went out in the hope that Majde would be released soon to return home to his children. But the occupation army refused to release him despite that he was not charged with any offense. Majde is still suspended for three months so far without any charge.

Qassam requires the presence of his father at all time. He needs to be taken care of because he is a child, and because of his disability. Qassam needs someone to take him to school every day back and forth, and he and his brother need constant care. Instead of playing with their toys and enjoying their childhood, unfortunately they will have to keep looking for answers to their pressing question: “where is Daddy?” We tried through the lawyer to assure Majde that things are fine with his sons, but in fact things are not good because he is in jail. His only sin and crime was sticking to his land, adheres to his rights, and his dream to live in freedom and dignity together with his children, like all human beings on this earth.

By: Younes Arar
Committee Coordinator

Support Madje: Read more here

Sunday 16 October: Palestinian solidarity activists in Berlin today held a demonstration in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

In front of the Brandenburg Gate in central Berlin, protestors displayed banners and chanted in support of the hundreds of Palestinian prisoners who are now entering their third week of hunger strike, in protest at the inhumane and illegal conditions they are subject to in Israeli jails.

Amongst the demonstrators was PSP organiser and member of Beit Ommar’s popular committee, Mousa Abu Maria, who is currently on a European speaking tour.

The protesters called for the release of all Palestinian political prisoners being held by Israel, and an end to the occupation.

13th August: Around 40 demonstrators – comprising residents of the village of Beit Ommar, and Israeli and international activists – gathered for a demonstration against the illegal Karmei Tsur settlement.

The demonstrators, carrying flags and banners commemorating the anniversary of the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, were met by a large and heavily armed military presence. As the protestors marched through Beit Ommar fields, the soldiers reacted violently, pushing several protestors to the ground, and others down steep rocky drops.

After a short speech, the protestors decided to end their demonstration. At this point, local resident Sakhar Abu Maria was arrested by the military, for no apparent reason. He was then blindfolded for 20 minutes, placed in the back of a jeep, and driven to the Karmei Tsur settlement. Once there, he was beaten by soldiers, who threatened to raid his family home, and taunted him by repeatedly offering him food and drink after learning he was fasting for Ramadan, pouring glasses of coca cola and pushing them towards him. He was released after 90 minutes.

At around 10pm on the night of the 11th August, the Israeli army once more invaded the town of Beit Ommar. Around eight jeeps and more than twelve soldiers entered the town and advanced along the main road, closing off the entrance to the village behind them, preventing residents returning to their homes.

The soldiers proceeded to fire dozens of rounds of teargas into highly residential areas, accompanied by concussion grenades and flares. Several families inside their homes suffered the effects of teargas inhalation and required medical treatment, some being taken by ambulance to hospital in Hebron.

The soldiers remained in the town until 1am, during which time they continued to fire rounds of teargas regularly. No arrests were made, and there remains no apparent reason for the raid.

The Abu Maria family were one such household affected by the raid. Their family home was struck by two teargas cannisters, forcing the family to flee the building with their 1-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter. The ground floor of their house remained uninhabitable for the night due to the lingering gas.

This raid brought the total number of army invasions in Beit Ommar to three in the last week, following an attack on a party in the local park last friday (link here), and a raid on several houses in the Al Memterah area of Beit Ommar on Wednesday night, when eight army jeeps raided the homes of ten local families, firing teargas, flares, and concussion grenades. Two children were arrested during the raids, which lasted for more than two hours.

Karmei Tsur is an Israeli settlement built in the 1990s, primarily on land privately owned by residents of Beit Ommar. A secondary fence was recently constructed around the already existing primary fence of the settlement, confiscating an additional several hundred meter circumference of Palestinian farmland in Beit Ommar.