Advocates Demand Release of Palestinian Israeli Journalist Abed Abu Shehadeh

According to The New Arab, 15 Israeli police officers and Shin Bet agents, some masked, raided the home on Tuesday and arrested Abu Shehadeh in front of his wife and two children. The Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court extended his detention on Wednesday after police requested an additional eight days. Authorities’ suspicion relates, reportedly, to an interview with Azmi Bishara, a Palestinian intellectual and former Knesset member who leads the exiled Balad party. Israeli authorities suspect Bishara of being a foreign agent; he fled Israel in 2007 and is accused of assisting Hezbollah during the 2006 war in Lebanon.

The Committee to Protect Journalists said a police representative initially described Abu Shehadeh as a journalist at the hearing, then called him a political adviser after a recess. His defense questioned whether the interview went beyond a public podcast recording or involved non-public information. Adalah, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, said the interview concerned the Israeli election campaign and had been widely published. The group called the detention arbitrary and said investigating a media interview violated freedom of expression and press freedom.

Adalah attorney Hadeel Abu Salih said the arrest was “a tool for political silencing” and alleged police lacked both a court order to arrest Abu Shehadeh and prosecutorial permission to interrogate him. She linked the case to what she described as attacks on Palestinian citizens of Israel’s free speech since October 7, citing more than 1,000 arrests for speech-related “offenses.” CPJ regional director Sara Qudah called for Abu Shehadeh’s unconditional release and the dropping of all charges.

Adalah said arrests and investigations over political statements had worsened after last week’s Israeli elections. Editors of Jewish Currents described Abu Shehadeh’s detention as part of a campaign of repression following electoral gains by Palestinian parties and urged US officials to seek his release. Balad leader Sami Abu Shehadeh, the journalist’s cousin, likewise alleged the arrest was intended to undermine election results through police and Shin Bet action.