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Israeli Shin Bet arrests two Arab leaders and prevents them from meeting their lawyers for two weeks
After two weeks of gag order on publishing anything about the arrest of Omar Said and Amir Makhoul, the Israeli press today stated that the two Arabs were [singlepic id=185 w=300 h=210 float=right] arrested by the Shin Bet and are suspected of having communication with Hezbollah. Amir Makhoul is a well-known Arab leader inside Israel. Makhoul fills the position of the director general of the Itijah which is the union of Arab community based associations. Omar Said is also an active politician and a member of the Balad movement.
Omar Said was arrested while he was on his way to visit Jordan. Makhoul was arrested at three am from his house while his young daughters were crying and shouting because of the huge squad force that entered the house and searched it violently. Makhoul’s wife described the way the Shin Bet men stormed into their house and refused to show an arrest warrant in the beginning. The dangerous development in Israel’s policy is its decision to ban the Israeli press from reporting about the imprisoning of the two men.
Not only the press was not allowed to report about the arrestment but also the two men were not allowed to meet their lawyers until yesterday. It is worth mentioning that Makhoul was arrested on the 24th of April and this means that he was not allowed to meet his lawyer for more than sixteen days. Makhoul’s brother accused the Israeli security forces of targeting his brother because of his campaigns against the government’s policy against Israeli Arabs. Makhoul is well known internationally and locally since he worked a lot to follow Israel’s policy and injustice while dealing with the Israeli Arabs. [singlepic id=186 w=320 h=240 float=right]
Makhoul’s lawyer Hussein Abu Hassan criticized the Israeli law that allows prosecuting anyone who makes a conversation by using the Internet chat or telephone with someone from a state that Israel considers an enemy. The Israeli Arab reaction and anger was felt; many Arab organizations called for the Arabs to come and demonstrate in Haifa today against Israel’s policy which is targeting Arabs because of their race.
The Shin Bet are known for similar actions while arresting Arabs whether inside Israel or in the Palestinian territories. The obsession which the Israeli security forces is living in makes them react violently and ignore all the rules which a democratic system puts for arresting a citizen of its own. Once an Arab is the target, the Israeli security forces forget about law and the democratic norms that Israel claims to have in its system. Kidnapping men in the mid of the night and banning the media from reporting these arrests assures that there was something wrong. The only accusation that the Shin Bet seems to be relying on is about a meeting which took place a couple of times between Makhoul and another Lebanese doctor in the international conferences he used to attend with many other participants from around the world.
The real reason which pushed the Israeli security forces to act in such a way that can be described only in one word “fascism” is because of the Israeli state’s refusal to accept the idea of the Arab existence in its territories. Any Israeli Arab who seeks a natural relation with Arabs from other Arab countries can be easily accused of having relations with an enemy state. Even in the Israeli education the Israeli citizens are not taught about the truth of the Arabs who live inside Israel. Instead, Israel works to get recognition of being a Jewish state while ignoring more than two million Palestinians who are living inside its borders. Even Arab leaders and parliament members are haunted, imprisoned, accused and attacked. On example is the picture of Ahmad Tibi while being removed from the speech stand at the Israeli parliament because he is simply an Arab. Even the Israeli media attacks the Arab leaders inside Israel; only a few months ago the parliament member Jamal Zahalka was attacked by an Israeli journalist in the Israeli first channel studio because he criticized Israel’s policy that resulted in killing 1500 innocent Palestinians in Gaza.
Israel’s policy in dealing with its Arab citizens is a policy of war since once an Arab is suspected no law is considered and only force is the language which is used in haunting and arresting them. I wonder whether this is democracy and where does the free world stand from such actions that criticize with Israel’s law, the International law, and human rights.
