The Israeli military court of Salem, near Jenin in the occupied West Bank, approved yesterday a request by the so-called Israeli Internal Security (Shin Bet) to extend the detention of the Boycott, Divestments and Sanctions (BDS) coordinator in Palestine, Mahmoud Nawajaa, by 15 days.

The BDS Movement said in a press release that no charges or evidence were shared with Nawajaa or his lawyer, assigned by Addameer-Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association.

According to Addameer, Shin Bet told the court that they “suspected” Nawajaa’s membership in a prohibited party and his provision of services to it, claims that he vehemently denied when questioned by the military judge.

Nawajaa told the judge via videoconference (due to COVID-19 restrictions) that he is in good health.

Nawajaa, a prominent Palestinian human rights defender, has been dragged away from his family by Israeli occupation forces in a night raid on July 30, and is currently held in Israel’s Jalameh interrogation center.

Reacting to the Israeli military court decision, BDS co-founder Omar Barghouti said: "Today’s hearing followed precisely the Israeli Shin Bet playbook of repression, which is reminiscent of apartheid South Africa’s. Without charges or a shred of evidence, they throw outrageous lies at Palestinian human rights defenders, like Mahmoud, to smear them and to make it easier for the rubber-stamp military courts to extend their detention, ill treatment and, often, cruel interrogation."

"Israel knows that despite its massive investment of financial, political, diplomatic, media and intelligence services resources in its desperate war on the peaceful BDS movement for Palestinian rights, it is failing to slow down the movement’s growth and impact worldwide," he continued.

"We call on all human rights supporters everywhere to intensify pressure on Israel’s regime of oppression to immediately release Mahmoud and all Palestinian human rights defenders and prisoners of conscience in Israel’s dungeons. It is high time, in particular, to cut all military-security trade and ties with apartheid Israel."

 

Source: Wafa Agency