Israel kidnaps two more Palestinian lawmakers: UFree calls for international action
Oslo, Norway -- Jan. 24, 2012
Israel’s violent seizure and arrest this week of two senior members
of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) is a brazen violation of
international law and the diplomatic immunity universally accorded to
elected leaders of government and parliament, charges the Oslo-based NGO
UFree Network.
Former Jerusalem Affairs Minister Khaled Abu Arafah and fellow
lawmaker Mohammed Totah were forcibly removed Monday, Jan. 23, from the
East Jerusalem headquarters of the International Committee of the Red
Cross, where they had sought refuge for more than 18 months to avoid
Israeli revocation of their residency status in the city.
"Together with Ahmed Attoun, a PLC member who was arrested in
September, Abu Arafah and Totah had been staging a sit-in on the
premises of the ICRC since July 1, 2010, to protest against a decision
of the Israeli authorities to deport them," the ICRC stated in a press
release. "Under international humanitarian law, East Jerusalem is an
occupied territory, and its Palestinian residents are therefore
protected persons within the jurisdiction of Article 4 of the Fourth
Geneva Convention."
Other than issuing this statement, the ICRC has done nothing more,
insisting that the organization holds no diplomatic status in Israel and
thus cannot protect the lawmakers from arrest.
However, Mohammed Hamdan, chairman of UFree Network, an Oslo-based
NGO that advocates for the rights Palestinian political prisoners and
detainees in Israeli detention, says that is not enough.
“It is time for the international community -- including the
International Committee of the Red Cross -- to start enforcing
humanitarian law,” says Hamdan. “The Israeli government forced its way
onto the grounds of an international organization, arresting
democratically elected lawmakers and forcing them to leave the city of
their birth. These are the actions of a thug, not the ‘oasis of
civilization’ it claims to be.”
UFree Network is calling on all members of the public who believe
in democracy and the rule of law to send letters to their
representatives in parliament across the world, demanding that Israel be
held to account and pressured into releasing the imprisoned PLC
members. A sample letter can be found on UFree Network’s website www.ufree-p.net
Shortly after the 2006 PLC elections, Totah, Abu Arafah and two
other Palestinian politicians were ordered by Israeli authorities to
resign from the Hamas-led government chosen by the people or have their
East Jerusalem permanent- resident status revoked
When they refused, the four men were prosecuted before an Israeli
military court and sentenced to two to four years in prison. Shortly
after their release in the summer of 2010, the Israeli authorities again
threatened to forcibly transfer the men and strip them of their East
Jerusalem residency rights. When they refused to leave once again,
Muhammad Abu Tir was sent back to jail and the three remaining MPLCs to
refuge at the ICRC compound to avoid a similar fate. They had sheltered
there ever since.
Meanwhile, Israel is currently holding 26 PLC members in its jails,
with the latest being Dr. Aziz Duwaik. The Speaker of the PLC was first
imprisoned by Israel on Aug. 6, 2006. He was released on June 22,
2009, before being re-arrested Jan. 19 of this year, while traveling to
the West Bank city of Hebron.
“With the PLC scheduled to meet in February, for the first time
since 2007, Israel is obviously running scared at the prospect of a
unified, strong, Palestinian government,” said Hamdan, noting that
elections are planned for May this year. “It’s time for the United
Nations, its member countries and human rights NGOs around the world to
prove that democracy is what they want and support.”
For more information, visit www.ufree-p.net
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