UPDATE: Attack on the Tamimi family: Ahed’s detention extended in military court, Bassem Tamimi detained and released

Ahed Tamimi in Ofer Military Court, Asra Voice

Bassem Tamimi, Palestinian human rights defender and the father of detained Palestinian teen Ahed Tamimi, was released late at night on 20 December after being seized by Israeli occupation forces himself in the morning as he attended his daughter’s hearing at the Ofer military court, according to his Facebook post. Ahed was seized in the pre-dawn hours of 19 December from her family home and the Tamimis’ computers, phones and other electronics were confiscated by occupation soldiers.

Ahed’s mother, Nariman Tamimi, was detained later in the morning on 19 December after she was called to the “Benjamin” police station near Jaba village. Both Ahed and Nariman remain jailed; Nariman will be brought for a hearing in military court tomorrow, 21 December, and Ahed’s detention was extended until Monday, 25 December at the earliest. Bassem has previously been detained 11 times and spent 3 years in administrative detention, imprisonment without charge or trial; he was recognized by Amnesty International as a prisoner of conscience.

This came one day after both Ahed and then her mother were arrested by occupation forces following attacks on them in Israeli media for protesting and defending their land from Israeli occupation soldiers who had shot another local boy, 14-year-old Mohammed Tamimi, in the head with a rubber-coated metal bullet.

In overnight, violent raids, occupation forces seized a cousin of the family, Nour Tamimi, 21, from her family home in Nabi Saleh. This means that Ahed and both of her parents, Nariman and Bassem – all of whom are leading land defenders in Nabi Saleh – are currently seized by the Israeli occupation forces.

Thousands of people around the world have already responded to the call for action against this injustice. We urge you to continue to mobilize and take action to free the Tamimi family and all the Palestinians targeted by the Israeli occupation for imprisonment and detention.

The resistance of the Palestinian people has never been quelled by arrests or repression, and it must be clear that we, around the world, stand alongside the Palestinian people as they defend Jerusalem and their entire land and people under attack. This includes standing with detained and jailed Palestinian prisoners in their struggle for liberation for themselves, their people, and their occupied homeland.

TAKE ACTION: 

    1. For supporters in the US: Call your member of Congress to support H.R. 4391, the Promoting Human Rights by Ending Israeli Military Detention of Palestinian Children Act. Tell them specifically about Ahed’s arrest, and urge them to act for her release. Click here to tell your member of Congress to support the bill. Tell them to pressure Israel to free Ahed and other detained Palestinian kids.
    2. For international supporters: Call your government officials and demand action for Ahed Tamimi and other Palestinian child prisoners, and freedom for Nariman Tamimi.Call your country’s officials urgently:
      Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop: + 61 2 6277 7500
      Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland: +1-613-992-5234
      European Union Commissioner Federica Mogherini: +32 (0) 2 29 53516
      New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully: +64 4 439 8000
      United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson: +44 20 7008 1500
      United States President Donald Trump: 1-202-456-1111
    3. Call your nearest Israeli embassy and let them know that you know about the detention of Ahed Tamimi in Nabi Saleh and other Palestinian child prisoners. Demand Ahed, her mother Nariman,  and the other detained children be immediately released. Contact infomation here: https://embassy.goabroad.com/embassies-of/israel
    4. Join one of the many protests for Jerusalem and distribute this post and other news about Ahed, Nariman, and the Palestinian prisoners. Get others involved in the struggle for Palestinian freedom! Build the campaign for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel and complicit corporations like HP and G4S.