In response to rumors that Mohammed Ibrahim is being held in abusive conditions in detention, 27 US Congress members wrote to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, to request his release.
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The letter, signed by Senators Bernie Sanders and Chris Von Hollen, states that “the Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of US citizens abroad,” as has been repeatedly stated. We agree with that statement, and we urge you to fulfill your responsibility by working with the Israeli government to get this American boy released right away.
The harsh conditions Palestinians are held in Israeli prisons with little legal recourse have been highlighted by Mohammed’s detention, which has now lasted for more than eight months.
His family has received updates from former US ambassadors and prisoners who described his alarming weight loss, deteriorating health, and signs of torture as his court hearings are routinely postponed, according to the letter.
The US government, which is quick to support Israeli Americans who find themselves in danger of harm, but slow to respond to instances of violence or abuse against Palestinians with US citizenship, is shown by the case, according to analysts and rights advocates.
The US government has made it abundantly clear that it cares little about Palestinians who hold US citizenship who have been killed or unfairly detained by Israel, according to Yousef Munayyer, director of the Palestinian/Israel program at the Arab Center in Washington, DC.
Sayfollah Musallet, Mohammed’s 20-year-old cousin, was brutally beaten to death by Israeli settlers in the West Bank. No arrests have been made so far, and Israeli settlers who carry out violent attacks against Palestinian communities rarely face punishment, according to US Ambassador Huckabee, who called for the Israeli government to “aggressively investigate” the murder.
The Trump administration should launch a separate, impartial investigation, according to Musallet’s family.
The government of our country is aware of these incidents. They are complicit in themselves, Munayyer asserted. The government doesn’t act in many cases where Palestinian Americans have been killed. The Trump administration has a history of doing this.
Mohammed claimed in testimony from the rights organization Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCIP) that he was tortured while being transported and that he was being held in a cold cell with no food. Since his arrest in February, DCIP claims to have lost “considerable amounts of weight.”
In the occupied West Bank, Mohammed, who was 15 years old at the time of his initial detention, allegedly threw stones at Israeli settlers. He denies the charge and says no evidence has been presented in public to back up his claim. In a letter from US lawmakers, it is stated that “no evidence has been publicly provided to support this allegation.”
Israeli authorities frequently charge Palestinian children with throwing stones in the occupied West Bank, where Israeli facilities are known for treating detainees badly.
About 75% of Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank described being subjected to physical violence after being arrested, according to a DCIP investigation, and 85.5% of those who were unaware of the reason for their arrest.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) issued a statement about the incident, stating that any other foreign power that has been accused of abusing and imprisoning an American teenager should be met with outcry and decisive action by our government.
“The Trump administration must place American citizens first, and secure Mohammed Ibrahim’s immediate release.” This Florida 16-year-old is safe with his family and is not locked up in Israeli military detention facilities known for human rights violations.
Source: Aljazeera
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