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Israel detains Palestinian activist without charge
Israeli police detained Abed Abou Shhadeh, a former city council representative for Jaffa’s Palestinian community, after searching his home overnight. He had not been charged at the time of reporting and was due to appear in an Israeli court later that Wednesday.
The legal group Adalah told Al Jazeera that Abou Shhadeh was being held at a detention centre and described his detention as part of a campaign to silence Arab journalists and political activists. Separately, Wafa reported that Israeli settlers beat and injured a Palestinian man and a foreign solidarity activist near Jericho; both were treated by the Palestine Red Crescent and taken to hospital.
In short
- Abed Abou Shhadeh was detained without charge.
- He was due to appear in court later that day.
- Two people were injured in a separate reported settler attack.
Explained simply
Jaffa is a port city that is now part of the Tel Aviv–Jaffa municipality in Israel, and it has a Palestinian Arab community. Abed Abou Shhadeh has represented that community in local politics as a city council member.
Israel’s police and courts handle arrests and detention under Israeli law. A person may be held while authorities investigate, but detention without a charge can raise questions about the legal basis and duration of custody.
Adalah is an Israeli legal rights organisation that represents Palestinian citizens of Israel and campaigns on legal and civil rights issues. The separate report of violence near Jericho concerns the occupied West Bank, where Palestinians, Israeli settlers and international activists are among the people affected by ongoing tensions.