OPGAI Calls: Free Palestinian Civil Society Activist Ameer Makhoul!

Monday, 10 May 2010 11:46
Print PDF

 

Israeli authorities arrested the community leader and activist Ameer Makhoul, who serves as the General Director of Ittijah -- Union of Arab Community Based Associations, and President of the Popular Committee for the Defence of Political Freedoms.

ameer-makhoulThe Israeli police and the General Security Services (Shabak) officers broke into Makhoul’s house last Thursday, May 6. 2010, two weeks after he was issued a prohibition order to leave the country for two months. 

The detention of Makhoul, who is not allowed to meet with his legal representatives, is part of Israel’s policies against active political figures in their homeland. The arrest of Makhoul, along with a number of additional Palestinian activists a month ago, is part of an attempt to crush the Palestinian popular movement defending the Palestinian existence in Israel.  

We condemn the arrest of Ameer Makhoul. We believe that this arrest is an expression of Israeli oppressive policies that negate the rights of Palestinians inside the state of Israel, and also of the continuous failed attempts made by the Israeli authorities to eliminate the national Palestinian identity of its citizens for more than 60 years. 

OPGAI reaffirms the importance of continuing to resist and struggle against Israeli colonialism, occupation and racism   

OPGAI calls for the immediate and unconditional  release  of Ameer Makhoul, and an end  to the long-established Israeli practice of arbitrary detention and deportation of human rights defenders.

OPGAI and all activists for justice for the Palestinian people will stand steadfast in the face of these increasingly aggressive Israeli practices against the Palestinian people and continue to resist Israel’s colonial occupation and racism

OPGAI further calls on Israeli activists for a just peace to not remain silent in the face of this blatant and undemocratic repression of Ameer Makhoul, his right and the right of all Palestinian civil society activists and human rights defenders to advocate against Israeli apartheid policies. Taking a public stance is particularly important given the undemocratic decision by Israel to deny the Israeli public knowledge of this flagrant violation of human rights

OPGAI calls on international activists to publicly protest and campaign against the arrest of Ameer Makhoul and Israeli repression of Palestinian political and civil society activists. Letters of protest to Israeli officials may be sent to: Head of Israel’s General Security Services, Yuval Diskin, through this link: 
http://www.pmo.gov.il/PMOEng/Public+Applications/PublicApplications/; and Israeli Ministry of Internal Security, Yitzhak Aharonovitch  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

 

OPGAI: The Occupied Palestine and Syrian Golan Heights Advocacy Initiative is composed of: Al Marsad, Alternative Information Center (AIC), Alternative Tourism Group, Bisan Center for Research and Development, Defence for Children International – Palestine, Golan for Development, Land Research Center, Mithaq, East Jerusalem YMCA-Beit Sahour Branch, Union of Health Work Committees