Mohammed Ibrahim, who is just a normal child who loves his family and enjoys photography, is reportedly a normal child.
Despite protests calling for his release, the Palestinian American teenager spent his 16th birthday in an Israeli jail this past March.
Given the billions of dollars in military aid Israel receives annually, Zaher Ibrahim, believes the United States government can free Mohammed and put an end to his ordeal with a single phone call.
Zaher told Al Jazeera on Wednesday, “But we’re nothing to them.”
Mohammed has been losing weight and having a skin infection while he is being held in prison, according to Zaher and other family members. Israeli authorities have otherwise denied the teenager contact with the outside world, despite US officials’ visits.
The teenager’s family, which is based in Florida and the West Bank, has called on the US to secure his release after being warned that his life may be in danger.
In recent weeks, Congress members and human rights organizations have been pressing Trump to support Mohammed’s release.
An American child
More than 100 advocacy organizations, including Pax Christi USA, IfNotNow, A New Policy, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), wrote to Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday to request Mohammed’s release.
“The Israeli military has unjustly imprisoned Mohammed, a child, without a trial for six months, making his parents endure a nightmare without end. Since Mohammed was taken, Israel has not gotten in touch with him, according to the letter.
Mohammed is a native of Florida and a member of the family who gives him great care. The US government has a duty to safeguard all children in the country, including those who are Palestinian.
In February, Israeli soldiers stormed Mohammed’s family’s West Bank home. Mohammed’s family claims that he was on vacation from Florida when the troops arrested him and blindfolded him.
He later admitted to throwing stones at Israeli settlers, a charge he denies.
His family claims that he has lost almost a quarter of his body weight since his arrest. Additionally, he has developed scabies, a skin condition that causes excruciating itching and rashes all over the body. According to them, US officials provide them with information on his condition.
Ibrahim told Al Jazeera, “It’s hard.” You ask, “Did he get his meal today?” when you sit down for a meal.
Even a district in Mohammed’s Florida home has gotten involved in the fight for his freedom. Congresswoman Kathy Castor called for his safe release on Tuesday, speaking for a city in which he lives.
Without mentioning Israel, Castor wrote in a statement, “I urge the Trump Administration to do everything in its power to secure Mohammed Ibrahim’s release,” Castor said. “It is a child, an American citizen, and a Floridian.”
Pic of my statement regarding Mohammed Zaher Ibrahim’s arrest. twitter.com/CjZiKJd3ub
Sayfollah Musallet, an American national who was beaten to death by Israeli settlers in July, has a cousin named Mohammed.
On Tuesday, two Democratic senators, Chris Van Hollen and Jeff Merkley, met with Mohammed and Sayfollah’s families, according to Zaher.
A settler attack in the West Bank in July also claimed the life of Khamis Ayyad, a US citizen and father of five.
At least 10 US citizens have been killed by Israeli soldiers and settlers since 2022. None of the cases have led to criminal charges.
Where is the protection we need?
The US government appears to be unwilling to defend its citizens from Israel, according to Mohammed’s relatives.
The uncle of Mohammed’s uncle, Zeyad Kadur, contrasted the teenager’s ongoing detention with the case of Israeli official Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, who was released on bond in the US and allowed to leave the country despite facing serious child sex crimes.
An Israeli was detained in Las Vegas on suspicion of paedophile charges, and Mohammed is accused of throwing a rock, according to Kadur, who spoke to Al Jazeera.
Why is there a need for that double standard, even for children?
In response to privacy concerns, the US Department of State has declined to provide more information about Mohammed’s case.
A journalist inquired about Mohammed’s case on Wednesday as Rubio and his counterpart Gideon Saar met in Washington, DC. The US ambassador to the top did not respond.
Leali Shalabi, Mohammed’s cousin, argued that Americans across the country should be “wake-up call” by the US government’s unwavering support for Israel at the expense of its own citizens.
She also raised the issue of Trump’s “America First” motto, claiming that his support for Israel stifles US interests.
We’re not put first when it’s people who look like us, Shalabi told Al Jazeera.
Leading human rights organizations have criticized Israel’s military assault on Gaza as a genocide, and its troops have increased their attacks in the West Bank. In the area, there has also been more violent violence against settler residents.
According to their families, Mohammed and his cousin Sayfollah’s cases demonstrate that Americans are not spared.
Source: Aljazeera
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