Palestinian-French lawyer Salah Hamouri was ordered to four more months of renewable arbitrary imprisonment under administrative detention as notoriously racist, far-right Israeli defense minister Avigdor Lieberman signed a renewal order for his continued imprisonment on Monday, 26 February. Hamouri, a former political prisoner, newly graduated Palestinian lawyer, advocate for Palestinian prisoners and internationally known speaker on Palestine, was seized from his Jerusalem home by occupation forces on 23 August 2017. After ongoing interrogation, he was ordered imprisoned for six months without charge or trial. During that time, his support campaign in France has garnered the support of dozens of cities and towns, 1,600 elected officials and thousands of supporters demanding freedom for their fellow citizen.
The renewal of the order against Hamouri comes as he joins over 450 fellow administrative detainees in a collective boycott of the Israeli occupation courts that pronounce and verify these military orders. They are demanding an end to the policy of administrative detention, a systematic policy used in an attempt to remove Palestinian leaders, organizers and prominent voices from their communities and isolate them from the Palestinian people and the world. There are 450 administrative detainees among 6,200 total Palestinian political prisoners and there have been over 3,500 administrative detention orders issued in just the last two and a half years.
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network demands the immediate release of Salah Hamouri and all of his fellow Palestinian prisoners. This extension of the imprisonment of Salah Hamouri also underlines the complicity of the French state in his ongoing detention; even while officially requesting his release, the French government has not put any significant and meaningful pressure on the Israeli state to demand his freedom, while continuing to embrace the occupation state and suppress Palestine solidarity organizing. This, of course, comes hand in hand with the imprisonment for over 33 years of Lebanese struggler for Palestine, Georges Ibrahim Abdallah. Now, more than ever, it is critical to support the administrative detainees’ strike and escalate our demand for their liberation.
We are reprinting the statement of Salah Hamouri’s support campaign below:
Administrative detention of Salah Hamouri is renewed!
France is humiliated but the struggle continues
Avigdor Lieberman, Israeli Minister of Defense, has signed the renewal order for the detention of Salah Hamouri, French-Palestinian lawyer, arbitrarily imprisoned by Israel since 23 July 2017. His detention was extended by four months and is further renewable. The most absolute arbitrariness and injustice continue.
To the arbitrary actions of the Israeli state is added the responsibility of France, which beyond mere statements, has not made use of the substantial resources at its disposal to release a French victim of an arbitrary policy who is subject to an entirely unjust detention abroad.
The lack of serious action by France, despite its words, leads to a situation which does not ensure that the injustice is not repeated and that Salah is released on 28 February, as we have repeatedly and strongly requested.
All of this is political, on the Israeli side and the French side. Justice and law are in the relationship between our two countries merely negotiable concepts and not, as the French side frequently proclaims, firm and universal principles that must be fiercely defended in all places and at all times.
Since the responsibility for this situation is so clearly established, we all know that the State of Israel tramples the law with impunity and that this arbitrariness is a principle, we call on the French Presidency to demonstrate our clear and legitimate discontent and our willingness to act to meet the challenge: at stake is the fate of a man, of a right, but also that of our country.
We call, in this extreme situation, upon the President of the Republic to finally receive his wife, Elsa Lefort, as soon as possible to inform her of his intentions.
Arbitrary detention continues. Our action will continue accordingly, more resolute and determined than ever. Those who believe that we will tire are wrong; we draw new strength from this decision.
Paris, Monday, 26 February 2018
La détention administrative de Salah Hamouri est renouvelée !
La France est humiliée mais le combat continue.
Avidgor Liberman, ministre de la défense israélien a signé le renouvellement de la détention de Salah Hamouri, avocat franco-palestinien, arbitrairement incarcéré par Israël depuis le 23.07.2017. Cette détention est prolongée de 4 mois, renouvelables. L’arbitraire et l’injustice les plus absolus continuent.
À l’arbitraire de l’Etat israélien s’ajoute les responsabilités de la France qui, au-delà de ses affirmations, n’a pas mis en œuvre des moyens conséquents dont elle dispose pour faire libérer un Français, victime d’un arbitraire politique qui lui vaut une détention totalement injuste à l’étranger.
Cette absence de résolution de notre pays, malgré les paroles, aboutit à cette situation où elle n’a pas permis de garantir que l’injustice ne se répète pas et que Salah soit libéré le 28 février comme nous n’avons cessé de le demander avec force.
Tout cela est politique. Et côté israélien et côté français. La justice, le droit ne sont, dans cette relation entre nos deux pays, que des variables d’ajustements et non, côté français, des principes intangibles et universels à défendre farouchement en tout lieu et en tout temps.
Puisque les responsabilités de cette situation sont ainsi clairement établies, que nous savons tous que l’Etat d’Israël piétine sans la moindre réaction le droit et fait de l’arbitraire un principe, nous appelons à manifester vers la présidence française notre mécontentement légitime et notre volonté d’action à la hauteur de l’enjeu : il en va du destin d’un homme, du droit mais aussi de celui de notre pays.
Nous demandons, dans cette situation extrême, que le Président de la République reçoive enfin sa femme Elsa Lefort dans les plus brefs délais afin de lui faire part de ses intentions.
L’arbitraire continue. Notre action continuera en conséquence. Plus déterminée et résolue que jamais. Ceux qui croient que nous nous lasseront se trompent. Nous puisons des forces nouvelles dans cette décision.
Paris, Lundi 26 février 2018
