Israel jails prominent Palestinian activist from the Jordan Valley without charges

The Israeli army is holding well-known Palestinian activist Ayman Ghraieb in prison after arresting him in the Jordan Valley, where he documents settler violence against Palestinians, the Human Rights Defenders Fund (HRDF), the legal network representing him, denounced this Monday. Yesterday, Sunday, six days after his arrest on November 17, Ghraieb was questioned for the first time on suspicion of “incitement”. In its statement, HRDF alleges that, even before the questions were finished, its lawyer was informed that Ghraied would be placed in administrative detention based on “classified” evidence that neither the detainee nor his lawyer know. You can also read: Italy pockets two million dollars as champion; Spain, one and a half million “Placing him under administrative detention instead of initiating criminal proceedings underscores the political nature of his arrest, especially given his public defense of human rights,” says his legal team. It is expected that tomorrow (Tuesday) a decision will be made on whether to issue said order (which allows for their arrest for months without charges or trial) and otherwise, a court hearing could begin that same day. Ghraieb is currently held in Megiddo prison, where various human rights NGOs have documented systematic abuses and beatings against Palestinian detainees, as in other prisons such as Sde Teiman.

In total since October 7, according to a recent report by Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI), at least 98 Palestinians have died in Israeli detention centers: 52 (all Gazans) in military custody and 46 in prison, including 26 from the West Bank.

Two days missing

Up to two days after his detention, the HRDF details, Ghraieb’s whereabouts were unknown, as neither the Police nor the Army confirmed his detention. Only after the threat of filing a ‘habeas corpus’ appeal, did the Israeli Army reveal that Ghraieb is being held covertly at the Samra military base, in the Jordan Valley.

“At that military base, they kept him outdoors, handcuffed, without food, and a soldier violently hit him in the ribs, requiring urgent hospital attention,” details the text, which says that after another similar episode, he was transferred to Megiddo “where he spent his first three days in conditions that led to starvation.” Asked by EFE, the Army again today refused to provide information on this case.