Israel arrests US solidarity activists in the West Bank

Israeli authorities have arrested two US citizens in the West Bank. They were showing solidarity with the Abu Hamam family, who Israeli settlers have repeatedly targeted. The International Solidarity Movement has sent details:

Solidarity

Trudi Frost and Irene Cho were arrested on 12 December, in the West Bank village of al-Mughayyer, north-east of Ramallah. They were standing in solidarity against the forcible displacement of the Abu Hamam family.

Officials revoked their staying permits through a summary procedure and refused to review evidence of the illegality of the arrest. They’ve transferred the two to the Givon prison near the city of Ramla.

The legal team representing New York-based Cho and Boston-based Frost expect the detention to extend over a prolonged period. The two are refusing to cooperate with their deportation. And their lawyers are challenging the legality of the deportation order itself.

Military order

The arrest took place after Israeli forces claimed to present a month-long military order sealing the area.

The area marked as off limits in the map accompanying the order, however, did not include the Abu Hamam residence. This makes the detention unlawful.

In contrast, the closed area does include the outpost from which Israeli settlers regularly set out to terrorise the family.

Despite that fact, Israeli forces didn’t take any steps to enforce the order against the settlers. They continue to harass and assault the family undisturbed, often with the cooperation of the Israeli armed forces.

In a statement prior to her arrest, Frost spoke of her motivation to volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement because:

the ethnic cleansing happening in Palestine goes against international law and against humanity.

Cho described her admiration for:

the long legacy of protective presence and the collective efforts to reduce settler violence.

Frost and Cho’s detention was illegal, as their time in custody before appearing in front of an immigration officer extended for several hours beyond the legal limit of 24 hours.

During the hearing, the officer refused to examine the maps accompanying the order. These prove the detention was arbitrary and without cause, as well as politically motivated.

In further infringement of due process, Israeli authorities prevented the lawyer representing the two from attending the interview for several hours. Eventually, they conceded it’s their legal right to have legal representation.

Cho and Frost are due to face a custody review panel within 72 hours from the decision to deport them.

Following their illegal detention, the two were questioned for obstructing a police officer and being in violation of lawful direction. They were transferred to the Neve Tirza maximum security prison before being moved to Ben Gurion for a deportation interview.

Regular attacks

The Abu Hamam family has been the target of ceaseless harassment and assault at the hands of Israeli settlers and armed forces for over a year in an attempt to drive them away from their lands. Over the past week these attempts have escalated drastically, with near daily attacks.

Last Sunday, 7 December, a settler attack on the family took place in coordination with a military raid on the village, which prevented residents and medics to come to the family’s help. The attack resulted in the injuries of the family’s matriarch, 59-year-old Fadda Abu Naim, 13-year-old Riziq Abu Naim, as well as two UK nationals, a Colombian-American and a French national.

On the following day, Monday 8 December, settlers dismantled Palestinian owned corrugated metal sheds under the protection of the military.

On Wednesday 10 December, military forces raided the family’s property. They presented a 24-hour military zone order and arrested a US and an Australian national. Friday saw the unlawful arrest of Cho and Frost, while several military raids took place on Saturday and Sunday, as the forces looked for solidarity activists. Meanwhile, settlers are allowed to roam the area, attacking and harassing Palestinian communities completely undisturbed.

These attacks by settlers and soldiers aim to displace the Abu Hamam family forcibly from their land. It’s part of the implementation of the Israeli policy of ethnic cleansing Palestinians. In this case, displacing the family would also allow Israel to create an unbroken line of settlements and settlement outposts. This would run all the way from East Ramallah to the South Nablus area, and down to the Jordan Valley.

Featured image via International Solidarity Movement