Scientists and academics open letter: Free Imad Ahmad Barghouthi

11 May 2016

Imad Barghouthi, a professor of theoretical space plasma physics at Al-Quds University, has been arrested by Israeli occupation forces and ordered to administrative detention without charge or trial. Barghouthi, whose previous detention without charge inspired demands for his freedom from academics around the world, is once again finding support from internationally known scientists and academics. European organizations and academics sent a letter to the European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, urging action on Barghouthi’s case.

Today, over 100 renowned academics, including Angela Davis, Freeman Dyson, Noam Chomsky, and David Mumford, have issued a statement and an open letter urging Barghouthi’s release. We urge all academics to join the open letter and sign on at http://jvp.org/freeimad/.

“My father isn’t the only scientist who has been persecuted by the Israeli occupation. There is a war on Palestinian education. My father is fortunate enough to have made an international reputation for himself academically. People all over the world are speaking up for him, but what he would like most is for people to speak up for all Palestinian prisoners.”

– Duha Barghouthi, daughter of Imad Barghouthi

A joint project of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP); US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (USACBI); and the Association of Academics for the Respect of International Law in Palestine (AURDIP)

Open Letter on Behalf of Professor Imad Ahmad Barghouthi

Benjamin Netanyahu
Prime Minister of Israel
Prime Minister’s Office
3 Kaplan St. Hakirya
Jerusalem 91950, Israel
PM_ENG2@pmo.gov.il

Dear Prime Minister Netanyahu:

We are writing to urge you to order the immediate release of Dr. Imad Ahmad Barghouthi from Israeli military custody.

Dr. Barghouthi, a Palestinian resident of the West Bank, is an astrophysicist and professor of physics at Al-Quds University in Jerusalem. He was reportedly arrested by Israeli soldiers at the military checkpoint at Nabi Saleh in the West Bank, northwest of Ramallah on 24 April 2016. The Times of Israel reported that “neither the IDF nor Israel Police would comment on the matter, and it remains unclear which branch of the Israeli security forces was responsible for his arrest.” The Palestine Information Center reported that on 2 May 2016, “An Israeli court … issued an administrative detention order against Professor Barghouthi ” [1]. Professor Barghouthi is being held without charge [2], a serious violation of human rights.

As described in the journal Nature, Professor Barghouthi was previously arrested without charge by Israeli Border Police on 6 December 2014 when he attempted to cross the border from the West Bank to Jordan to board a flight to the United Arab Emirates so that he could attend a meeting of the Arab Union of Astronomy and Space Sciences, an organization he helped to found [3].

Professor Barghouthi’s attorney at that time, Jawad Boulos, alleged that Dr. Barghouthi was arrested because of his statements in support of Palestinian activities during Israel’s invasion of the Gaza Strip the previous summer, and that during interrogations Dr. Barghouthi was asked what statements he wrote on Facebook and what he said on television in opposition to the Israeli occupation [3]. Following letters of protest from international scientific organizations, including the Committee of Concerned Scientists in the United States, Dr. Barghouthi was released on 22 January 2015 [4].

The re-arrest of Professor Barghouthi is part of a broader pattern of disruption and suppression of Palestinian educational systems. The University of Gaza has been bombed multiple times [5]. Birzeit University in the West Bank has been closed down at least 15 times by the Israeli military, and its former president, Dr. Hanna Nasir, a physicist, was deported and remained in exile for 19 years. Arrests of faculty and students, in some cases because of Facebook posts in opposition to military occupation, have continued into 2016 [6]. Israel has destroyed or damaged hundreds of Palestinian schools, even kindergartens [7].

Article 26 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to which Israel is a signatory, grants all people the right to education. We urge you henceforth to respect those principles and to order the immediate release of Professor Imad Barghouthi.

Sincerely,

Organizers of this Letter (alphabetically listed):

Ahmed Abbes
Directeur de recherche au CNRS,
CNRS & IHES, Paris France

Chandler Davis
Professor Emeritus of Mathematics
University of Toronto

Michael Harris
Professor, Mathematics
Columbia University

David Klein
Professor, Mathematics
California State University Northridge

Mario Martone, Ph.D.
Post-doctoral scholar, Department of Physics
University of Cincinnati

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, Ph.D.
Research Associate, Department of Physics
University of Washington, Seattle

Other Signers (unordered)

David Palumbo-Liu
Louise Hewlett Nixon Professor
Stanford University

Rabab Abdulhadi
Associate Professor, Race and Resistance Studies
San Francisco state University

S. Akshay
Assistant Professor, Computer Science
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay

Mira Ariel
Professor, Linguistics
Tel Aviv University, Israel

Aiyalam Balachandran
Emeritus Professor, Physics
Syracuse University

Viviane Baladi
Directeur de recherche au CNRS,
NRS & UPMC, Paris, France

Suratno Basu
Research Scholar, Mathematics
Chennai Mathematical Institute

Rajendra Bhatia
Indian Statistical Institute
New Delhi, India

David Blanc
Professor, Mathamatics
University of Haifa, Israel

Felice Blake
Assistant Professor, English
UC Santa Barbara

Freeman Dyson
Professor, Physics
Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton

Michael W. Busch
Research Scientist, SETI Institute, Mountain View California USA

Ana Cristina Cadavid
Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy
California State University Northridge

Miguel Campiglia
Assistant Professor, Physics
Universidad de la Rep?blica, Uruguay

Peter Collas
Emeritus Professor, Physics
California State University Northridge

Noam Chomsky
Institute Professor, Emeritus,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Helen Cox
Director, Institute for Sustainability, Professor, Geography
California State University Northridge

Chandan Dalawat
Professor, Mathematics
Harish-Chandra Research Institute

Angela Y. Davis
Distinguished Professor Emerita, History of Consciousness and Feminist Studies
University of California, Santa Cruz

Kisha Delain
Adjunct Faculty, Physics Department
University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN

Jacobo Diaz-Polo
Postdoctoral Researcher, Physics
Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

Rabia Djellouli
Professor and Chair, Department of Mathematics
California State University Northridge

Dimitri R. Dounas-Frazer
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Phyics
University of Colorado Boulder

Deepak D’Souza
Associate Professor, Computer Science
Indian Institute of Science

Madhumita Dutta
PhD Student, Human Geography
Durham University

Ivar Ekeland
Professor Emeritus & former President of Paris-Dauphine University, Mathematics
Paris-Dauphine University, France

Emmanuel Farjoun
Professor, Mathematics
Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Johanna Fernandez
Assistant Professor, History
Baruch College, CUNY

Avner Giladi, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus, Islamic Studies, Department of Middle Eastern History
University of Haifa, Israel

Amit Gilutz
Visiting Professor, Music
University of New Orleans

Rachel Giora
Professor, Linguistics
Tel Aviv University, Israel

Sherna Berger Gluck
Emerita Director, Oral History
California State University Long Beach

Catherine Goldstein
Directrice de recherch_,
CNRS & IMJ-PRG, Paris, France

Mary W. Gray
Professor, mathematics and statistics
American University, Washington DC

Christian Haesemeyer
Professor, Pure Mathematics
University of Melbourne

Harry Hellenbrand
Provost Emeritus,
California State University Northridge

Reuben Hersh
Professor Emeritus, Mathematics
University of New Mexico

Renée Hlozek
Assistant Professor , Astrophysics
University of Toronto

Jennifer L. Hoffman
Associate Professor, Department of Physics & Astronomy
University of Denver

Hala Iqbal
Post-doctoral Fellow, Chemical Biology
Rockefeller University

Nabil Iqbal
Postdoctoral Scholar, Theoretical Physics
University of Amsterdam

Deepak Iyer
Assistant Professor, Physics
Bucknell University

Dileep Jatkar
Professor, Physics
Harish-Chandra Research Institute. Allahabad, India

Adam M. Jacobs
PhD Candidate, Physics
Stony Brook University

Nirmalya Kajuri
Postdoctoral Fellow, Theoretical Physics
Indian Institute of Technology, Madras

Tamar Katriel
Professor, Department of Communication
University of Haifa, Israel

Neal Koblitz
Professor, Mathematics
University of Washington, Seattle

Scott Kurashige
Professor, Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences
University of Washington, Bothell

Alok Laddha
Assistant faculty, Physics
Chennai Mathematical Institute

Kiese Laymon
Professor, English and Creative Writing
University of Mississippi

Jean-Marc Lévy-Leblond
Emeritus Professor , Physics
Universite de Nice, France

Say-Peng Lim
Professor and Chair, Department of Physics and Astronomy
California State University Northridge

Elena Long
Post Doctoral Researcher, Dept. of Physics
University of New Hampshire

Dr. Anat Matar
Philosophy Department,
Tel Aviv University, Israel

William Messing
Professor, School of Mathematics
University of Minnesota

Jessica Metcalfe
Assistant Physicist, High Energy Physics Division
Argonne National Laboratory

Ralf Meyer
Professor, Mathematics
Universität Göttingen

R. James Milgram
Emeritus Professor, Mathematics
Stanford University

Elisabeth A.C. Mills
Jansky Fellow Postdoctoral Researcher
Steward Observatory and Department of Astronomy
University of Arizona

Chandra Kant Mishra
Post-doctoral fellow, Astrophysics
International Centre for Theoretical Sciences
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, India

Clément Mouhot
Professor, Mathematical physics
University of Cambridge

David Mumford
Professor Emeritus, Mathematics
Brown University, Fields Medal 1974

Chiara R. Nappi
Emeritus Professor, Physics
Princeton University

Gautham Narayan
Postdoctoral Scientist,
National Optical Astronomy Observatory & The University of Arizona

Raghavendra Nyshadham
Associate Professor, Mathematics
Harish-Chandra Research Institute

Andrew O’Bannon
Senior Researcher, Theoretical Physics
University of Southampton

Joseph Oesterle
Professor Emeritus, Mathematics
University of Paris 6

Joseph Osmundson
Post-doctoral Fellow, Department of Biology
New York University

Avraham Oz
Professor, Department of Hebrew and Comparative Literature
University of Haifa, Israel

Gina Passante
Assistant Professor, Physics
California State University Fullerton

Kobi Peterzil
Professor, Mathematics
University of Haifa, Israel

Edie Pistolesi
Professor, Art
California State University Northridge

Arnab Priya
Graduate student, Theoretical Physics
Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai

Jaikumar Radhakrishnan
Professor, Computer Science
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, India

Madhusudhan Raman
Graduate Student, Theoretical Physics
Institute of Mathematical Sciences

Vijay Ravikumar
Assistant Professor, Mathematics
Chennai Mathematical Institute

Julie Rathbun
Professor, Physics
University of Redlands

Thomas Sean Rice
PhD student, Department of Astronomy
University of Michigan

William I. Robinson
Professor, Sociology, Global Studies, and Latin American Studies
University of California at Santa Barbara

Jerry Rosen
Professor, Mathematics
California State University Northridge

Rafael Sánchez
Visiting professor, Condensed Matter Physics
Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

Lionel Schwartz
Professor, Mathematics
Université Paris 13, Villetaneuse, France

Ananth Shankar
PhD student, Mathematics
Harvard University

Arul Shankar
Benjamin Pierce Fellow, Mathematics
Harvard University

Shiva Shankar
Professor, Electrical Engineering
Chennai Mathematical Institute

Sundar Shanmugasundaram
Assistant Professor, Mathematics
Chennai Mathematical Institute

Kobi Snitz
Department of Neurobiology
Weizmann institute, Israel

Alessondra Springmann
Graduate Research Assistant,, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory
University of Arizona

Steven Sperber
Professor, Mathematics
University of Minnesota

Viakalathur Sunder
Professor, Mathematics
Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai, India

Joshua Tan
FONDECYT Postdoctoral Fellow, Instituto de Astrof?sica, Pontificia
Universidad Cat?lica de Chile

Robert Trivers
Professor, Anthropology and Biological Sciences
Rutgers University

Sarah Tuttle
Researcher, McDonald Observatory
University of Texas at Austin

Bruno Vallette
Professor, Mathematics
Université Paris Nord XIII

Sushmita Venugopalan
Assistant Professor, Mathematics
Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai, India

Shirley Yap
Associate Professor, Mathematics
California State University East Bay

Eva Jablonka
Professor, Cohn Institute for the History of Philosophy of Science and Ideas
Tel Aviv University, Israel

Rima Najjar
Assistant Professor (retired), English
Al-Quds University

Orayb Najjar
Professor Emerita, Communication
Northern Illinois Univ. DeKalb

Peter Lake
Associate Professor , Rural Family Medicine
University of British Columbia

Adam Miyashiro
Assistant Professor of Literature , Literature
Stockton University

Khader Abu Alia
Lecturer , Language Center
Al quds university

Sunaina Maira
Professor, Asian American Studies
UC Davis

Diane Fujino
Professor, Asian American Studies, Director, Center for Black Studies Research
University of California, Santa Barbara, CA

Michael Ritter
Counselor Faculty, Health Promotion & Wellness
San Francisco State University

Philip Argyres
Professor, Physics
University of Cincinnati

Vincent Calvetti Jr
Graduate Student, Jewish Studies , Jackson School of International Studies
University of Washington

Peter Spitzform
Associate Library Professor, Bailey-Howe Library
University of Vermont

Jonathan Graubart
Professor, Political Science
San Diego State University

Noam Perry
Lecturer, Justice Studies
San Jose State University

Marilyn Hacker
Professor Emerita, French
CUNY Graduate Cemter

T.M. Scruggs
Professor Emeritus, Music
University of Iowa

Susan Joseph Rack
Field Education Supervisor, Field Education
Princeton Theological Seminary

Elmer Tory
Professor Emeritus, Mathematics and Computer Science
Mount Allison University

Joan Scott
Professor Emerita, School of social acience
Institute for advanced Study

Miriam Lowi
Professor , Political Science
The College of New Jeraey

Lana Povitz
Doctoral Candidate, History
New York University

Marie Kennedy
Professor Emeritus, College of Public and Community Service
University of Massachusetts Boston

Steve Breyman
Professor, STS
RPI

Anna Watts
Associate Professor, Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy
University of Amsterdam

Amy Hagopian
Associate Professor, Public Health
Univ of Washington Seattle

Edward Curtis
Millennium Chair of Liberal Arts & Professor, Religious Studies
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

Isaac Christiansen
Adjunct Instructor , Sociology
Grand View University

Hilarie Ashton
Graduate Teaching Fellow, English
CUNY Graduate Center

Lynne Joyrich
Professor, Modern Culture and Media
Brown University

Ken Olum
Research Professor, Physics and Astronomy
Tufts University

Joel Weisberg
Stark Professor of Physics & Astronomy & Natural Sciences
Carleton College

Bluma Goldstein
professor emerita, Germanic Studies
univ. of California, Berkeley

David Dubnau
Professor, Public Health Research Institute
New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers University

Celine Grenier
Instructor, ESL
Evergreen Valley

Laura De Vos
graduate student, English
University of Washington

Professor David Chadwick
Professor of Information Systems Security, School of Computing
University of Kent

Marcia Davitt
Postdoc Researcher, Science, Technology & Society
Virginia Tech

Andrew Gutierrez
Professor Emeritus, Ecosystem Science
University of California

Victoria Scowcroft
Senior Research Analyst, The Observatories
Carnegie Institution for Science

Marina Krikorian
Project Coordinator, Annenberg School for Communication
University of Pennsylvania

Elsa Auerbach
Professor , Liberal Arts
UMass Boston

Eve Spangler
Associate Professor, Sociology
Boston College

Baruch Boxer
Professor Emeritus, Human Ecology/Environmental Science/Geography
Rutgers University

Ellen Oxfeld
Professor of Anthropology , Dept. of Sociology and Anthropology
Middlebury College

Rico Chenyek
PhD Candidate, Institute of Communications Research
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Stephen Karakashian
Research Associate (retired), Animal Behavior
The Rockefeller Uviversity

Alejo Stark
PhD student, Astronomy
University of Michigan – Ann Arbor

Bryan Terrazas
Graduate Student, Astronomy
UofM

Darlene May
Full Professor, Romance Languages
Wake Forest University

Jodi Melamed
Associate Professor, English
Marquette University

Yali Amit
Professor, Statistics
University of Chicago

Joanna Rankin
Professor, Physics and Astronomy
University of Vermont USA

Amit Gilutz
Visiting Professor, Music
University of New Orleans

Clea McNeely
Associate Professor, Public Health
University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Ammiel Alcalay
Professor, Classical, Middle Eastern & Asian Languages & Cultures
Queens College/CUNY

Laura Goldblatt
Postdoctoral Fellow , Global Studies
University of Virginia

Ronald Santoni
Maria Theresa Barney Chair Emeritus, Philosophy
Denison University,and Clare Hall,Cambridge U

Manzar Foroohar
Professor, History
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA

Dan Sinykin
Assistant Professor, English
Grinnell College

Ivan Huber
Pro. Emeritus, Biology
Fairleigh Dickinson Univ., New Jersey, USA

Michael Thaddeus
Associate Professor, Mathematics
Columbia University

Judith Norman
Professor of Philosophy, Philosophy
Trinity University

Valentino Bianco
Doctor, Physics
University of Vienna

Eugenie Dubnau
Dr, Microbiology
Rutgers University

E. James Lieberman
Clinical Professor, Psychiatry
Geo. Washington U. School of Medicine

Willie van Peer
Full Professor, Languages and Literatures
University of Munich

Rosaura Sanchez
Professor, Literature
University of California, San Diego

Fred Dallmayr
Professor Emeritus, Politica Science
University of Notre Dame

Jonathan Rosenhead
Emeritus Professor, Management
London School of Economics

Scott Trager
Professor , Kapteyn Astronomical Institute
University of Groningen

Ann Sætnan
Professor, Dept of Sociology and Political Science
Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Tom Mayer
Professor Emeritus, Sociology
University of Colorado at Boulder

Wendilyn Emrys
Graduate Student, Mythological Studies/Depth Psychology
Pacifica Graduate Institute

Brinkley Messick
Professor, Anthropology
Columbia University

Adriana Ponce
Associate professor, School of music
Illinois Wesleyan University

Lawrence Moss
Professor, Mathematics
Indiana University, Bloomington USA

Marit Stromberg
PhD Student, Geography, Department of Geography, Environment and Development Studies
Birkbeck College, University of London

Alicia Ostriker
Professor, English
Rutgers University

Mark LeVine
Professor, History
UC Irvine

Peter Meyer
Professor emeritus, Urban and Public Affairs
University of Louisville

Roshni Rustomji-Kerns
Professor Emerita, Hutchins School of Interdisciplinary Studies
Sonoma State University

Lisa Stampnitzky
Dr., Politics
University of Sheffield

Deborah Wood
Dept Chair, History
Westtown School

Rana Bishara
Visual artist , Visual art department
Dal al kalima university college

Shari Stone-Mediatore
Professor , Philosophy
Ohio Wesleyan University

Susy Zepeda
Assistant Professor, Chicana/o Studies
UC Davis

George Salem
Associate Professor, biokinesiology
University of Southern California

Joel Beinin
Donald J. McLachlan Professor of History, History
Stanford University

Gary Brooks
Professor of Practice (retired), Political Science
Tulane University

Corinne Sutter-Brown
Independent Scholar, History
Rochster, NY

Jose Martinez Torrejon
Professor of Spanish and Portuguese, Hispanic Languages and Literatures
Queens College/CUNY

Philip Metres
Professor , English
John Carroll University

Eva Cherniavsky
Professor, English
University of Washington

Mohib Durrani
Professor, Engineering, Physics, Astronomy
Montgomery College, Rockville, MD

Leslie Patrick
Associate Professor, History
Bucknell University

Lorraine Malcoe
Associate Professor, Zilber School of Public Health
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Simona Sawhney
Associate Professor, Humanities and Social Sciences
IIT-Delhi, New Delhi

Adam Koranyi
Distinguished Professor, Mathematics
CUNY, Lehman College

Alan Wald
Professor Emeritus, English
University of Michigan

Jenn Olejarczyk
PhD Student, Psychology
University of South Carolina

Adrian Lucy
Graduate Research Fellow, Dept. of Astronomy
Columbia University

James Deutsch
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Medicine
University of Toronto

Ken Ross
Prof. Emeritus, Political Science
Adrian Colleege MI

Gordon Beeferman
PhD graduate fellow/teaching assistant, Music
New York University

Gillian Rodgers
Graduate research assistant, Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology
Virginia Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine

Richard Wahl
Professor, Pediatrics
University of Arizona College of Medicine

Kolo Wamba
Visiting professor , Liberal Arts and Sciences
DeVry University

Marwan Rashed
Professor, Philosophy
Sorbonne, Paris

Roshdi Rashed
Directeur de recherche CNRS, philosophie
CNRS Paris

Carol Murry
Doctor, Public Health
University of Hawai’i, retired

Francine Mazière
professeur émérite, linguistique
Université Paris 13

Sonya Rose
Professor Emerita, History
University of Michigan Ann Arbor

Richard Seaford
Professor, Classics and Ancinet History
Unversity of Exeter

Ingo Dr. Roer
Prof. emerit., Department 4 (Gesundheit und Soziale Arbeit)
Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences

Viktoria Metschl
Mag.phil., Department for Film and Media Studies
University of Vienna

Michel Habib
Professor, Banking and Finance
University of Zurich

Martin Billeter
Emeritus Professor Molecular Biology, Inst. of Mol Life Sc.
Zurich

Miriam Ben Baruch
BEd, Education
Seminar Hakibutsim

James Dickins
Prof., Dept. of Arabic, Islamic and Middle Easter Studies
University of Leeds

David Comedi
Professor, Physics Department
National University of Tucumán

Elyse Crystall
Senior Lecturer, English & Comp Lit
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Marilyn Neimark
Professor Emerita, Accountancy
Baruch College,The City University of New York

Mohamad Issa
Professor, Physics
Retired

Yael Ben-zvi
Senior lecturer, Foreign Literatures
Ben-Gurion University

Rebecca Subar
Adjunct Professor (RPT), Peace and Conflict Studies
West Chester University

Natalie Zemon Davis
Professor Emeritus, History
Princeton University

Robert Riehemann
Professor, Mathematics and Physics
Thomas More College

Adrian Carmona
Post-doctoral fellow, Theoretical Physics Department
CERN

Erik T Karlson
Professor emeritus, Astronomy and Space Physics
Uppsala University, Sweden

Rela Mazali
Independent Scholar

Harry Ramirez
Dr., Physics
Coulumbia Univercity

Steven Sperber
Professor, Mathematics
University of Minnesota

Michel Gros
Chargé de Recherche , Mathematics
Université de Rennes I

Catriona Esquibel
Associate Professor, Race and Resistance Studies
San Francisco State University

David Rohrlich
Professor, Mathematics & Statistics
Boston University

Henry Bucher
Assoc. Prof Emeritus, Humanities
Austin College

Glen Melanson
Sessional Lecturer, Philosophy/ Political Science
University of Prince Edward Island

Philip Regal
Professor Emeritus, EEB – Biological Sciences
University of Minnesota

Sonia Dayan-Herzbrun
Professor emerita, Social Sciences
Paris Diderot

Adrian Liu
Hubble Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Astronomy
University of California Berkeley

Amy Seslowsky
Graduate Student, Clinical Social Work
New York University

Zahra Ali
Dr, Theology and Religious Studies
Chester

Kadri Aissa
Professeur émérite , Méditerranée /Monde Maghrébin
Universite Paris8

Natalie Nesvaderani
PhD Student, Anthropology
Cornell University

Josefina Mena Abraham
Master in Sciences, Regional Planning
Universitario College London

Dr. Edwin Daniel
Professoy Emeritus of Pharmacology, University of Alberta, Phramacology
University of Alberta

Rachad Antonius
Full Professor, Sociology
Université du Québec à Montréal

Linvva DePass
Part time lecturer, Toxicology
UC Davis, UC Berkeley Extension, San Jose State

Le Cour Grandmaison Olivier
Professor, Political sciences
Université Paris-Saclay

Stephanie Reiss
M. Sc., Technical Physics
Technical University of Ilmenau, Germany

Lukas Saul
Dr., Applied Mathematics
Wentworth Institute of Technology

Orian Zakai
Visiting Assistant Professor , Modern Hebrew
Middlebury College

Ernst Mecke
Dr. rer. nat., Dep. of Physiology /Biomedicum
Helsinki University

Paula Ioanide
Associate Professor, Center for the Study of Culture, Race & Ethnicity
Ithaca College

Laura Haber
Program and Academic Director, Unit One
University of Illinois

Tyler Cohen
Dr., Physics and Astronomy
Stony Brook University

Sarah Spitzer Saul
alumna, History of religion
Bryn Mawr College

Carolyn Rosenstein
PH.D. – alumni, Sociology
UCLA

Alice Rothschild
MD, Retired Assistant Professor , Obstetrics and Gynecology
Harvard University

Dina Ezzeddine
MD, gastroenterology
sutter health

Ferdinando Giacco
PhD, Physics
Second University of Naples

Bertrand Badie
University Professor, Political science and international relations
Sciences Po Paris

Penny Rosenwasser
Ph.D., Interdisciplinary Studies
City College of San Francisco

Kawthar Moussaoui
Senator of Political Activism, ASU
East Los Angeles College

Adam Becker
Professor of Classics and Religious Studies, Classics/Religious Studies
New York University

Don Goldstein
Emeritus Professor, Economics
Allegheny College

Harriet Malinowitz
Lecturer, Writing
Ithaca College

henry lesnick
professor, language and cognition
city university of ny/ hostos

Joe Auslander
Professor Emeritus , Mathematics
University of Maryland

Katharina Nahlbom
Ph.D., Deapartment of Languages and Literatures
University of Gothenburg

doug Thorpe
professor, english
seattle pacific university

John Willoughby
Professor, Economics
American University

Joseph Levine
Professor of Philosophy, Philosophy
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Lawrence Davidson
Professor, Emeritus, History
West Chester University

Carl Gelderloos
Assistant Professor, German and Russian Studies
Binghamton University

Peter Rosenthal
Professor Emeritus, Mathematics
Toronto

James C Faris
Professor Emeritus, Anthropology
University of Connecticut (Emeritus)

Adam Izak-Sunna
Professor, Philosophy
Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia

Cyrus Bina
Distinguished Research Professor, Economics and Management
University of Minnesota (Morris Campus)

Jane Killgore
clinical professor, On/gyn
Univ North Dakota

Michael Keefer
Professor Emeritus, School of English and Theatre Studies
University of Guelph

David Lloyd
Distinguished Professor of English, English
University of California, Riverside

Benjamin deLee
Assistant Professor, History
SUNY Cortland

Rebecca Scheckler
assistant professor, Nursing
Radford University

Judith Berlowitz
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Spanish and Spanish-American Studies
Mills College

Erica Dodd
Prof., History in Art
University of Victoria, B.C.

Dean Spade
Associate Professor, Law
Seattle University

Beth Harris
Associate Professor (retired), Politics
Ithaca College

Lis Gilager
Candidate of English and Paedagogics, Retired
Paedagocical University of Copenhagen

Angela Miller
Professor, Art History
Washington University

Herman De Ley
Emeritus Professor, Philosophy and Moral Science
Ghent University (Belgium)

Richard Marcuse
Lecturer, Anthropology
U. of Victoria (ret.)

Nada Elia
Professor (retired), Global Studies
Antioch University

Erica Sigmon
Faculty, Public health
CUNY

Terri Ginsberg
Assistant Professor of Film, Department of the Arts
The American University in Cairo

Claire Gallien
Dr, English
Université Paul Valéry Montpellier 3

Claude Zurbach
Ingénieur de recherche, Laboratoire Univers et Particules de Montpellier
Université Montpellier

Eric Cheyfitz
Professor, English
Cornell

Barbara Chasin
Professor Emerita, Sociology
Montclair State University

Paul McDermott
Adjunct Professor of Classics, Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures
California State University Northridge

Amy Kaplan
Professor, English
University of Pennsylvania

Fuad Saleh
PhD Student, Arabic Studies
Georgetown Univeristy

Rachel Rubin
Professor, American Studies Department
University of Massachusetts Boston

Nagwa Bekir
Professor, ECE
California state university

Kai-Lit Phua
Associate Professor, Medical Sociology (Public Health), School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Monash University Malaysia

May Seikaly
Associate Professor , CMLLC
Wayne State University

Jamal Nassar
Dean emeritus, Social and Behavioral Sciences
California State University San Bernardino

Arif Dirlik
Knight Professor of Social Science, retired, History/Anthropology
University of Oregon, USA

Peter Hawxhurst
retired Research Associate V, Geology
Louisiana State University

Lucia Quaresma
Professor, Psychology
PUC, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

Orlando White
English Faculty, English
Diné College

Aneil Rallin
Associate Professor, Rhetoric and Composition
Soka University of America

Anthony Ashbolt
Senior Lecturer, Politics and International Studies
University of Wollongong, Australia

Charles Thorpe
Associate Professor, Sociology
University of California, San Diego

Ahlam Muhtaseb
Associate Professor, Communication Studies
California State University, San Bernardino

Roberta Ahlquist
Professor, Teacher Education
San Jose State University

Ian Barnard
Associate Professor of Rhetoric and Composition, English
Chapman University, USA

Howard Winant
Professor, Sociology
University of California, Santa Barbara

Anand Pillay
Professor, Mathematics
Notre Dame

Neel Ahuja
Associate Professor, English and Comparative Literature
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Judith Allen
Dr., Kelly Writers House
University of Pennsylvania

Naazneen Diwan
Lecturer, Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies
California State University, Los Angeles

Shireen Khazeni
Dr professor, History
University of Utah

Barbara Aswad
Professor Emeritus, Anthropology
Wayne.state university

Tania Eldin
Instructor, Film
American University of Cairo

Ronit Lentin
Associate Professor (retired), Sociology
Trinity College Dublin

Jeffrey Marck
Linguistics, retired
Institute of Advanced Studies, Australian National U.

Judith Butler
Maxine Elliot Professor, Comparative Literature/Critical Theory
University of California at Berkeley

Déborah Berman Santana
Professor, Ethnic Studies
Mills Collegw

mehdi husaini
Physics Lecturer, School of Science & Technology
Teesside University UCU

Daniel Segal
Professor, History
Pitzer College

Ellen Tremper
Professor, English
Brooklyn College/CUNY

Allan Christensen
Professor Emeritus, English Literature
John Cabot University, Rome

Carolyne J. White
Professor, Urban Education
Rutgers University

sylvat aziz
assoc professor, visual art
Queens University, Kingston On

Christopher Stone
Associate Professor, Classical and Oriental Studies
Hunter College (CUNY)

Norman Jemison
Retired – Head of Department, Fabrication and Welding
Teeside Tertiary College

Jamila Horabin
Associate Professor, Biomedical Sciences
Florida State Univ.

Lynn Comerford
Professor, Human Development & Women’s Studies
California State University, East Bay

Robert Cressy
Emeritus Professor of Finance, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Finance, Business School
University of Birmingham, UK

Jan Nespor
Professor, Department of Educational Studies
The Ohio State University, USA

Tomis Kapitan
Professor Emeritus, Philosophy
Northern Illinois University

Paul Biran
Professor of Mathematics
ETH Zurich

Ayesha Gill
Assistant Professor (retired), Biology
University of California, Los Angeles

Erin Breault
Teacher, Social Studies
Pittsburgh CAPA 6-12

Lynn Powell
Director, WITS Program, Creative Writing
Oberlin College

Avery Gordon
Professor, Sociology
University of California

Marcy Newman
Associate Professor, Independent scholar
Independent scholar

Philip Gasper
Professor Emeritus, Philosophy
Notre Dame de Namur University

Stéphanie LATTE
Research Fellow , CNRS
Institut Français du Proche-Orient

Carol Lang
Adjunct Professor , History
Bronx Community College

Iña Martinez
Teacher, Science
Escuela de Magisterio

Francesca Arici
Postdoctoral Researcher, Mathematical Physics
Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen

Yukako Kawanaka
Phd student, Theology
Uppsala University

Jocelyn Hermoso
Associate Professor, School of Social Work
San Francisco State University

Jean-Louis LELEU
Professeur des Universités, Arts
Université de Nice, France

Yasar Zaben
Graduate Researcher, Construction Engineering & Managment
KFUPM

Michael Reagan
instructor, History
University of Washington

Jim Roche
Lecturer, Architecture
Dublin Institute of Technology

Laurence Davis
College Lecturer , Government
University College Cork

Valeria Montano
PhD, Life Sciencies
École Polytechnique Fédérale De Lausanne

LOSCOS Martine
Université Lyon 2, Rhône
UNIVERSITÉ LYON II

Kholood Altassan
Dr, Public health
University of Washington

Phil Abbot
PSE tutor, ISLI
University of Reading

Mariel Gruszko
Doctoral Candidate, Anthropology
University of California, Irvine

James Cohen
Professor , American Studies
Université de Paris 3 Sorbonne Nouvelle

Antonio Uras
PhD, High-Energy Physics
CNRS

Jean-Marie GLANTZLEN
Bac Lettres Philo 1961, Love
France

[1] Israel arrests pro-Hamas Palestinian astrophysics professor, Dov Lieber, The Times of Israel, April 26, 2016
http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-arrests-pro-hamas-palestinian-astrophysics-professor/
Israeli Court Jails Prof. Imad Barghouti administratively, Palestine Information Center
http://english.palinfo.com/site/pages/details.aspx?itemid=78356

[2] Prominent Palestinian astrophysicist Imad Barghouthi detained by Israeli occupation forces, Samidoun
https://samidoun.net/2016/04/prominent-palestinian-astrophysicist-imad-barghouthi-detained-by-israeli-occupation-forces/

[3] Scientists protest detention of Palestinian physicist, Michele Catanzaro, Nature, International weekly journal of science, Nature News, 21 January 2015, Updated: 23 January 2015, Corrected: 22 January 2015
http://www.nature.com/news/scientists-protest-detention-of-palestinian-physicist-1.16770

[4] Letter on behalf of the Committee of Concerned Scientists: Israel’s Detention of Palestinian Astronomer Traveling to Conference Violates Human Rights, Joel L. Lebowitz, Paul H. Plotz, Walter Reich, Eugene M. Chudnovsky, Alexander Greer,
17 January 2015
http://concernedscientists.org/2015/01/israels-detention-of-palestinian-astronomer-traveling-to-conference-violates-human-rights/

[5] Israel-Gaza conflict: University hit as Palestinians endure more than 200 strikes in 24 hours, Lizzie Dearden, The Indenpendent, 2 August 2014
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israel-gaza-conflict-university-hit-as-palestinians-endure-more-than-200-strikes-in-24-hours-9644243.html

[6] History of Birzeit University, Birzeit University website: www.Birzeit.edu
http://sites.birzeit.edu/pas/content/history-birzeit-university
Birzeit University rises up against Israel’s arrests, Mariam Barghouti, Aljazeera, 11 January 2016
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/01/birzeit-university-rises-israel-arrests-160106083537743.html

[7] Suffocating the Gaza Strip under Israeli Blockade, Amnesty International report, January 2010
https://www.amnesty.ie/reports/failing-gaza-no-rebuilding-no-recovery-no-more excuses-0
Gaza crisis: a closer look at Israeli strikes on UNRWA schools, Raya Jalabi, Tom McCarthy and Nadja Popovich, Guardian UK, 8 August 2014
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/08/-sp-gaza-israeli-strikes-unrwa-schools
Israeli attack on Gaza damaged 75 kindergartens and day-care centers, Mondoweiss, September 22, 2014
http://mondoweiss.net/2014/09/israeli-damaged-kindergartens/

Rasmea Defense Committee: All out for Detroit June 13th!

11 May 2016

Join us to win #Justice4Rasmea by attending Rasmea’s next court hearing in downtown Detroit, Michigan, on Monday, June 13^th, 2016, at 10 AM Eastern time!
A little over two months ago, all of you supporters helped Rasmea and her defense committee win a huge victory, as the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals sent her case back to trial judge Gershwin Drain, saying he had wrongfully barred the testimony of a torture expert that was critical to the defense. At the trial, Rasmea was not allowed to tell the entire story of her arrest and forced confession by the Israelis in Palestine in 1969, when she endured over three weeks of vicious sexual, physical, and psychological torture at the hands of the Israeli military.

Rasmea suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) because of this torture, which, according to world renowned psychologist, Dr. Mary Fabri, caused her to suppress the horrible recollection of the arrest when she answered questions on her immigration application in the U.S. These allegedly false answers led to her unjust conviction in the politically-motivated trial in 2014, which in turn led to her being sentenced last year to 18 months in prison and deportation. She is currently living and working in Chicago, free while fighting the conviction.

Judge Drain excluded Dr. Fabri’s testimony from the trial, and disallowed any evidence about the rape and torture. Now, after the appeals court decision, the judge must determine new legal avenues to exclude the expert testimony. If he cannot, Rasmea may be granted a new trial!

Make your travel plans now to be with the Rasmea Defense Committee, U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), Committee to Stop FBI Repression, and the Coalition to Protect People’s Rights—in support of our hero!
WHEN: Monday, June 13^th, 2016

Rally outside the courthouse at 10 AM Eastern Time

Hearing begins at 11 AM Eastern Time

WHERE: U.S. Courthouse for the Eastern District of Michigan
231 W. Lafayette Blvd.

Detroit, Michigan 48226

More information for those attending the hearing:
Confirm with us that you are attending, and provide us with transportation information, by filling out this form.

Please be at the courthouse at 10 AM Eastern for a rally and picket. We will then start lining up between 10:20 and 10:30 AM, to ensure that we are in thecourtroom well before 11 AM. Late comers will not be allowed in the courtroom.

Please do not volunteer to speak to any media or press in attendance. The defense committee has a media team made up of the only people authorized to speak to the press.

There will also be a rally / press conference outside the courthouse after the hearing. Lead defense attorney Michael Deutsch will address the media and Rasmea’s supporters, and then we will hear from a number of solidarity speakers, including Frank Chapman, Field Organizer for the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Jess Sundin of CSFR, representatives of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, members of the Detroit / Dearborn community, and others.

This is basic information for our presence INSIDE the courtroom:

What do you need to bring to get into the courtroom? Must bring ID: it can be a driver’s license, state ID, or passport.

What to wear to court? No “I Support Rasmea” clothes, buttons, or signs.

How to act in court?

No talking in the courtroom
No coming and going; if you leave the courtroom for anything other than an emergency, you will not be let back in.

What not to bring to court?

No cell phones.
No cameras or recording devices.
No food or drink.

For everyone:

Visit justice4rasmea.org, follow @Justice4Rasmea and #Justice4Rasmea on twitter, and like our Facebook page; or email justice4rasmea@uspcn.org for more information!

Donate online!

Also follow www.uspcn.org & www.stopfbi.net!

See these recent media hits:

A New Day for Rasmea Odeh: Throwing the Spotlight on Israeli Torture, Reader Supported News, Dennis J. Bernstein

Demands Grow for US to Drop Case Against Palestinian Activist, teleSUR

#Justice4Rasmea: Palestinian activist’s supporters light up social media, RT

Rasmea Odeh Heads Back to Court in Ongoing CampaignAgainst Palestine Activism, Bill Chambers, Chicago Monitor

Chicago Teachers Union honors Rev. Sekou of Ferguson, Sekou honors Rasmea Odeh, Fight Back! News

Help Rasmea Win! All Out for Detroit!

Sincerely,

Rasmea Defense Committee

Daughter of imprisoned Palestinian astrophysicist speaks out on her father’s case

11 May 2016

Mondoweiss published an interview with Duha Barghouthi, a high school student and the daughter of imprisoned Palestinian astrophysicist Imad Barghouthi, by Samidoun international coordinator Charlotte Kates. Barghouthi, 54, is a former employee of NASA in the United States and a professor at Al-Quds University. Scientists and academics around the world have called from his release from Israeli prison, where he is held under administrative detention without charge or trial:

“Imad is the source of love and kindness in our house. He is very joyful and he spreads positivity wherever he goes,” says Duha Barghouthi, 17, Imad’s daughter and a graduating high school student. “He used to help me – and my twin sister – in our homework and exams. Unfortunately, as seniors, we are in the middle of our final exams. Passing our exams without him next to us as we study and prepare has impacted us negatively.”

“My father teaches and plants concepts and ideas of freedom through education to his students, his children, and his colleagues,” Duha said, emphasizing her father’s commitment to Palestinian science….She urged international scientists to support her father’s case. “Scientists should be awarded, not imprisoned. I know there are already organizations that are concerned with such cases,” Duha said. “But I urge them to do more legally. My father isn’t the only scientist who has been persecuted by the Israeli occupation. There is a war on Palestinian education. I hope to see Israel held accountable for its cruel actions on an international level.”

She noted the work of organizations and prominent international academics, mathematicians and scientists who have spoken up to urge Barghouthi’s freedom. “My father is fortunate enough to have made an international reputation for himself academically. People all over the world are speaking up for him, but what he would like most is for people to speak up for all Palestinian prisoners.”

To read the full article, please see: http://mondoweiss.net/2016/05/imprisoned-palestinian-astrophysicist/

15 May, Oakland: George Jackson in the Sun of Palestine: Colonial Captivity and Revolutionary Struggle

10 May 2016

Sunday, 15 May
4 pm – 7 pm
Uptown Auto Body and Fender
401 26th St
Oakland, CA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/551591961667213/

Art Forces and AROC invite you to join us to remember the Nakba, the Black Panthers, and Indigenous Resistance.

Doors open at 4pm for the art exhibition and blessing at the Oakland Palestine Solidarity Mural
with Traditional Te’o Kalli Mejica Dancers
Directly across the street from the Uptown

OPENING PERFORMERS INCLUDE:
Young GIfted and Black
Silk Road Debke

SPEAKERS and DIALOGUE with:
Greg Thomas
Emory Douglas
Maytha Alhassen
Rabab Abdelhadi
Tony Gonzales
Van Dell
_______________________________
ENDORSED BY:
QUIT
AIM West
Art Forces
California Coalition for Women Prisoners
AROC
Nor Cal Friends of Sabeel
Palestine Youth Movement
Freedom Archives
AMED Studies: Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas Studies, College of Ethnic Studies, San Francisco State University
Middle East Children’s Alliance
IJAN
Critical Resistance
BAYAN
Anthropology and Social Change – CIIS
——————————————————————–
PAINTERS and GRAPHIC ARTISTS:
Pedro Alcantara-Herron (Colombia)
Leroy Clarke (Trinidad & Tobago)
Jonelle Davies (Black America, Trinidad & Tobago)
Emory Douglas (Black America)
Antonio Frasconi (Uruguay)
Ahmed Hmeedat (Palestine)
Ivan Lopez (Colombia, America)
Malaquias Montoya (Mexico, Mexican-America)
Rafael Morante (Cuba)
Prisoners of the California Hunger Strikes
Nidal El Khairy (Palestine, Jordan)
Leonard Peltier (Anishinabe, Dakota, and Lakota Nations)
Priya Handa
Sharif Zarkout (Palestinian American)
Marius Mason

FILM AND PHOTOGRAPHIC ARTISTS:
Camila Smith (North America)
Haile Gerima (Ethiopia, African America)
Lucas Guilkey and Salima Hamirini
Dick Bancroft
Michelle Vignes
Tamari Photo Collection
Dave Clark
Peter Fryer
FIDA Photo
Rula Halawani
Kent Wilkens
Patizio Esposito
Skip Schiel
Pablo Pitcher
_________________________________________

INSTITUTIONS:
Abu Jihad Museum (Abu Dis/Jerusalem, Palestine)
OSPAAAL (Havanna, Cuba)
Inkworks (Berkeley, CA)
The Black Panther newspaper (Oakland, CA)
Al Quds University Media (Abu Dis/Jerusalem, Palestine)
Freedom Archives
AIM West
NorCal Friends of Sabeel

We will be also doing a live ALL AGES Mural throughout the event, bring your kids and loved ones!
———————————————————————————-

“We have to reinforce solidarity with freedom-minded people all around the world.”
– Issa Qaraka, Minister of Prisoner Affairs, Palestine

“George Jackson in the Sun of Palestine” is a travelling multimedia exhibition that expresses the depth of solidarity and closeness between the struggles against colonization in Palestine and around the world. In this regard the exhibit will change with each location as local artists join the exhibit.

The impetus and title for the exhibit stem from the inspiration Black Panther George Jackson received from Palestinian poet Samih al-Qasim’s poem “Enemy of the Sun.” After Jackson was assassinated in 1971 a handwritten copy of this poem was found in his prison cell. The Black Panther Party shared the classical Palestinian poem in the party’s newspaper, under the assumption it was written by Jackson himself.

Curator Greg Thomas states:

“That was a magical mistake that expressed the depth of solidarity and closeness, because the similarity in voice and situation is unimaginable. Palestinian resistance poetry occupied a large space in the lives of black people across the ocean and it is all because of George Jackson, the eternal enemy of the sun’s enemy.”

ENEMY OF THE SUN
by Samih Al Qassem

I may, if you wish, lose my livelihood,
I may sell my shirt and my bed,
I may work as a stonecutter,
A street sweeper, a porter,
I may clean your store
Or rummage your garbage for food,
O enemy of the sun
But, I shall not compromise,
And to the last pulse in my veins,
I shall resist.

You may take the last strip of my land,
You may plunder my heritage,
You may burn my books and my poems,
Or throw my flesh to the dogs,
You may spread a web of terror,
On the roof tops of my village,
O enemy of the sun,
But, I shall not compromise,
And to the last pulse in my veins,
I shall resist.

You may put out the light in my eyes,
You may deprive me of my mother’s kisses,
You may destroy my history,
You may curse my father, my people,
You may deprive my children of their smile
And of life’s necessities,
You may fool my people with a borrowed face,
You may spread a wall of terror around me,
You may glue my eyes with humiliation,
O enemy of the sun,
But, I shall not compromise,
And to the last pulse in my veins,
I shall resist,
O enemy of the sun.

The decorations are raised at the port,
The exclamations fill the air,
The heart is a glow,
A sail is seen in the horizon,
Challenging the wind and the depths,
It is Homer,
Returning home from the sea of losses.
The sun has returned,
Together with my exiled ones,
For her sake, and his
I swear, I shall not compromise,
And to the last pulse in my veins,
I shall resist, I shall resist,
I SHALL RESIST!!!!

Israeli court delays review of Janazrah’s detention; hunger strike continues

10 May 2016

The Israeli supreme court continued the administrative detention without charge or trial of Sami Janazrah on Tuesday, 10 May. Janazrah is a Palestinian prisoner who has been on hunger strike for 69 days, reported the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society.

Palestinian lawyer Jawad Boulos said that the court gave the military prosecution 7 days to present the results of their investigation of the evidence; he is held at Soroka hospital. He has been imprisoned under administrative detention since 15 November 2015.

Earlier on Tuesday, Janazrah refused a meeting with the representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) when Israeli guards insisted that his hands and feet remain shackled to the hospital bed during the meeting.

Ofer military court also rejected on Tuesday, 10 May an appeal of administrative detention by Adib Mafarjah. The lawyer of Mafarjah, on hunger strike for 37 days alongside Fouad Assi, both held under administrative detention without charge or trial, raised an alert about Mafarjah’s health. He is held in solitary confinement in Gilboa prison. His lawyer said that he has been vomiting blood and experiencing pain; he is refusing vitamins and medical examinations.

Meanwhile, Assi, also on hunger strike for 37 days, was transferred again to isolation in Ashkelon prison. He had previously been held in solitary confinement in Ella prison and before that in solitary confinement in the Ketziot Negev prison. Assi has been imprisoned since 9 August 2015. Riyad al-Ashqar of the Palestinian Prisoners Center for Studies said that the frequent transfer of hunger strikers was meant to pressure prisoners to end their strike through increasing their suffering.

Palestinian child Ahmad Manasrah convicted by Israeli court, threatened with life sentence

10 May 2016

Palestinian child Ahmad Manasrah, 14, was convicted by the Israeli Jerusalem district court on Tuesday, 10 May of two counts of “attempted murder,” for allegedly participating in an attack with his 15-year-old cousin Hassan Manasrah in an illegal Israeli settlement on occupation settlers. Manasrah will be sentenced on 11 July, according to Israeli media reports; the 14-year-old boy is threatened with a sentence up to life imprisonment.

Manasrah, 13 at the time of the alleged incident, was run over by an Israeli settler’s car and his cousin was shot and killed; while Ahmad has been held prisoner since that time, his cousin’s body has also been withheld, imprisoned by the Israeli occupation. Manasrah was severely injured by the car; a widely circulated video shows him lying on the ground, bleeding, while Israeli bystanders shout “Die, son of a whore!” and call on Israeli police to shoot him.

Another video was also widely circulated of Israeli police screaming and swearing at Manasrah in an interrogation. Manasrah’s experience in interrogation is not uncommon; Defence for Children International Palestine has reported that the vast majority of children imprisoned or arrested by Israeli occupation forces are subject to ill-treatment, torture and abuse, including threats, beating, and extended solitary confinement.

Speaking to Ma’an News, a lawyer working with the Palestinian Committee of Prisoners’ Affairs, Tariq Barghouth, called the court decision “contestable,” adding that the court decision would likely be appealed.

‘We hope the Supreme Court will view this humanitarian case differently,’ Barghouth said. ‘Once again, the Israeli court proves its racist treatment of the Palestinians,’ the lawyer added, highlighting the ‘double standard’ of the Israeli justice system when it comes to punishing Palestinians accused of committing crimes against Israelis, compared to cases of settlers attacking Palestinians.”

Manasrah’s lawyer Lea Tsemel accused the legal system of being “dragged into discriminating between Jews and Arabs” contrasting the attempted murder charges Manasra was convicted of with the manslaughter charge levelled against Israeli soldier Elor Azaria, who is accused of shooting dead a wounded Palestinian assailant as he lay on the ground.

Palestinian lawyer Jamil Saadeh said that “the occupation deliberately kept the child Ahmad Manasrah imprisoned incide a reform center until he reached the legal age for full sentencing under Israeli law, which is the age of 14 years. This in itself is contrary to the International Convention on the Rights of the Child and paves the way for issuing a sentence of life imprisonment for the child Manasrah. The court did not take into account what he suffered from the moment of his detention, being wounded, assaulted and cursed, treated inside the hospital as a threat, and screamed at during interrogation by the officers, all of which is documented on video and condemns the occupation.”

There are over 400 Palestinian children imprisoned in Israeli jails. Defence for Children International notes that “The maximum custodial sentence for a child aged 12 to 13 years is six months. The maximum custodial sentence for a child aged 14 to 15 years is 12 months, unless the offense carries a maximum potential sentence of five years or more. Children aged 16 to 17 years are subject to the same maximum potential sentences as adults.” In effect, however, because many offenses, from throwing stones to the “attempted murder” charges levied against Manasrah, carry sentences of greater than five years, children from the age of 14 years are regularly sentenced as adults. An international campaign has emerged to demand freedom for Manasrah and his fellow imprisoned children.

Early Tuesday morning, at least six Palestinian minors, including a 14-year-old boy, Ahmad Mazin Abu Khdeir, were among 16 Palestinians detained by Israeli occupation forces in pre-dawn raids.

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network urges the release of Ahmad Manasrah and all imprisoned Palestinian children. We further urge international action to compel the Israeli state to respect the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and end international military aid and assistance that funds the imprisonment and torture of Palestinian children. We note that the imprisonment, oppression, and killing of Palestinian children by the Israeli occupation is part and parcel of the Israeli colonial project in Palestine, and that there is no true freedom for Palestinian children except through the freedom of the Palestinian people and Palestinian land.

Jailed for nearly nine years without charge or trial, Palestinian nurse re-arrested by Israeli occupation forces

9 May 2016

Among 24 Palestinians arrested late night Sunday, 8 May and early morning Monday, 9 May by Israeli occupation forces included former prisoner Thabet Nassar, 32, a nurse from Madama village, south of Nablus.

Nassar, who has spent approximately 12 years in Israeli prisons over multiple arrests, was released recently from administrative detention, in which he was held for over two years. In total, he has spent nearly nine years in administrative detention without charge or trial on the basis of secret evidence.

In 2015, he was part of the Battle of Breaking the Chains hunger strike for 40 days demanding an end to administrative detention; one year before, in 2014, he joined the collective hunger strike of administrative detainees for over 60 days, also demanding an end to the practice of Israeli imprisonment of Palestinians without charge or trial. He also participated in the Karameh hunger strike of thousands of Palestinian prisoners in April-May 2014 for nearly 30 days, demanding an end to isolation and denial of family visits.

Nassar and his wife have three children, Yaman (8), Amal (5), and Mais (2), the latter born the same day as his 2013 arrest. Born in 1978, Nassar was first arrested in 1997 when he was shot in the head with a rubber bullet during a Land Day demonstration; he was jailed for 27 months. Since then, he has been repeatedly arrested and imprisoned under administrative detention,in 2002 for three years, in 2008, in 2009 for several years, and again in 2013.

Early Monday morning, the Nassars’ family home was attacked and ransacked by Israeli occupation forces and Thabet once again taken away. Their beds, dressers and belongings were pulled apart and strewn all over the floor, a scene that repeats itself nightly in dozens of Palestinian homes.

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network expresses its strongest solidarity with Thabet Nassar and all Palestinians detained by Israeli occupation forces, demanding their immediate release. The case of Nassar clearly illustrates the constant threat of administrative detention as a weapon to arbitrarily detain Palestinians for years on end with no charge, no evidence, and no trial.

Majd Atwan, 22, sentenced to 45 days imprisonment for Facebook postings

9 May 2016

Majd Yousef Atwan, 22, a young Palestinian woman from Al-Khader village, Bethlehem, and a recent beauty school graduate, was sentenced by an Israeli Ofer military court to 45 days imprisonment and a 3,000 NIS ($794) fine for posting on Facebook, which the Israeli military occupation deemed “incitement.”

Atwan is one of approximately 150 Palestinians detained and imprisoned for social media postings, including the case of Dareen Tatour, a Palestinian poet from Nazareth being prosecuted for poetry posted online. She was arrested in a 2:00 am army raid on her family home on 19 April, which was invaded by occupation soldiers. She is one of 7,000 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails and nearly 70 women and girls.

Bir Zeit University student arrested in night raid, student leader banned from Ramallah and Bir Zeit

9 May 2016

Palestinian engineering student Alaa Assaf was arrested by Israeli occupation soldiers after they raided her family’s home in Bir Zeit, north of Ramallah, in an early-morning armed attack on the home.

Assaf, a student in the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology at Bir Zeit University, was formerly a member of the university’s student council from 2014-2015. Recent elections at the university were won by the Islamic Bloc; dozens of students associated with the Islamic Bloc, the leftist Progressive Democratic Pole, and other active student organizations have been arrested by the Israeli occupation forces.

At the same time, Asmaa Qadah, the secretary of Bir Zeit student council’s cultural committee, was banned from entering Ramallah and Bir Zeit for five months. Qadah was previously held under administrative detention without charge or trial for several months. The ban on Qadah’s entering Bir Zeit and Ramallah obviously interferes with her ability to study, attend classes, and participate in the university. Her graduation – originally scheduled for July 2016 – was already delayed due to three months of arbitrary imprisonment.

Alaa Assaf was among at least 14 Palestinians arrested in late-night/early-morning raids by Israeli occupation forces in home invasions.

Students and faculty at several Palestinian universities have been targeted for arrest, including students at Bir Zeit University, Al-Quds University, and Palestine Polytechnic University. Student offices were raided by Israeli occupation forces who invaded Al-Quds University, while astrophysics professor Imad Barghouthi is imprisoned without charge or trial under administrative detention.

Hunger Strike Update: Janazrah to face hearing on 10 May on 68th day of hunger strike; solidarity actions growing

9 May 2016

Palestinian prisoner Sami Janazrah has been on hunger strike for 67 days. Janazrah, 43 and the father of three, is a Palestinian refugee living in Al-Fuwwar refugee camp. He has been held in Israeli administrative detention – imprisonment without charge or trial – since 15 November 2015, and launched his hunger strike to demand his freedom.

The hearing on his appeal against his administrative detention was moved forward, to 10 May instead of 16 May, following a filing by his lawyer, Jawad Boulos, noting the deterioration in Janazrah’s health.

As’ad Radwan of Gaza City, 38, is now on his 14th day of open hunger strike, Safa News reported; he is striking in solidarity with Janazrah and his fellow hunger strikers against administrative detention, isolation, and medical neglect. He will speak about his ongoing strike outside the office of the Red Cross in Gaza City at a solidarity sit-in in support of the prisoners on Monday, 9 May.

A campaign was also launched in Salfit in solidarity with Mansour Moqtada, 46, imprisoned Palestinian on hunger strike against medical neglect. Moqtada was severely injured by Israeli occupation forces in 2002 and must use a wheelchair, a “plastic stomach,” and colostomy bags. He is imprisoned permanently in Ramle prison clinic. As part of his 27-day partial hunger strike (he consumes liquids only), he has refused medication for the past week, endangering his life and health.

Imprisoned hunger striker Mohammed Qawasmeh, 33, was transferred to the Ramle prison clinic from isolation in Ashkelon on Sunday, 8 May; he has been on hunger strike for 13 days in protest of his solitary confinement and experienced a deterioriation in his health.

Also on hunger strike are Fouad Assi and Adib Mafarjah, striking for 36 days since 4 April against their administrative detention without charge or trial; Muhannad al-‘Azzeh, striking for 15 days against medical neglect; and Majdi Yassin, a Swedish-Palestinian citizen arrested as he attempted to return to Sweden on 25 April and arbitrarily detained. He is held in Petah Tikva interrogation center.

Samidoun will protest in New York on 13 May at 4 pm outside the W. 44th Street office of prison corporation G4S, that provides equipment, security systems and control rooms to Israeli prisons, checkpoints and interrogation centers, calling for freedom for Janazrah, all of the hunger strikers and all Palestinian prisoners.

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