Amir Makhoul :Arrested
This morning, May 6, 2010 at 6 am the Israeli General Security Service (GSS or the "Shabak")
accompanied by Israeli police raided the home of Ameer Makhoul in Haifa with a warrant for his
arrest. Mr. Makhoul is a political activist and serves as the General Director of Ittijah – The Union
of Arab Community-Based Associations and Chairman of the Public Committee for the Protection
of Political Freedoms in the framework of the High Follow-up Committee for the Arab Citizens of
Israel.
The police conducted an extensive search of the house and confiscated items including cell phones
and computers. According to his wife, Janan, the security forces refused to identify themselves and
only following her insistence showed her the arrest warrant, which stated that the arrest was for
'security reasons'. Meanwhile, another police group raided the Ittijah offices and confiscated the
computers and other important materials.
A hearing of the case will take place today at 11:30am at the Petah Tikva Court. Ameer Makhoul
will be represented by Advocate Hussein Abu Hussein, who is a member of the Board of the Arab
Association for Human Rights (HRA) and the Chairperson of Ittijah.
The arrest comes following an administrative order issued on April 22 by the Israeli Interior
Minister, prohibiting Makhoul from leaving the country for a period of two months.
In the prohibition order itself, which is based on article 6 of the 1948 emergency regulations, the
Israeli Interior Minister, Eli Yishai, stated that "I have reached the conviction that the exit of Ameer
Makhoul from the country poses a serious threat to the security of the state, and therefore I issue
this order to prevent him from leaving the country until the 21st of June, 2010".
The Arab Association for Human Rights, while confirming its rejection and strong condemnation of
these actions, believes that it is part of an escalated campaign to restrict civil society organizations
and public action, in an attempt to crush the popular movement to defend the rights and existence of
the Palestinian people.
The HRA regards this as a flagrant violation of fundamental freedoms, especially the freedom of
movement and freedom of expression. Furthermore, the arrest warrant and prohibition order, which
are based on emergency regulations, are arbitrary political decisions issued by the Interior Minister
and are not legal decisions issued by the courts. These decisions lack the most basic human rights
standards and due process of law, particularly as they are based on 'secret' evidence and the defense
is prevented from viewing this evidence.
These actions are also a flagrant violation of the UN Declaration and the EU guidelines on Human
Rights Defenders. We call for the immediate release of Ameer Makhoul and we urge all local and
international civil and human rights organizations to take a clear position on this issue, and work for
firm and immediate measures to protect activists' and human rights defenders' rights and ensure
their freedom of movement and expression in order to promote and protect human rights.
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In Arab countries there is no freedom to anyone, but the Arabs in Israel have freedom. I believe the Israeli police that he did something.
This guy is suspected to being related to terror organizations, and the Israeli public--Jews and Arabs alike--have the right to be protected from terror. This is the same in every other democratic state, like US and UK.
Good day.
While I yearn for the day that Palestinians have their own country,I would seriosly doubt if people like Mr. Makhoul are able to further this cause.
As for Israel's stance on this matter-either charge the guy legally and prove the charges in court,or free him.
Ali, I guess you're only a citizen of Israel but you don't actually live in Israel, because all you said is plain lies and illusions. Israel has been, is, and most likely will remain far from a democracy, far from being just, far from treating people equally, and far from being a country of all its citizens. I guess you're just stuck at home watching TV and busy getting drunk in some hole, getting yourself drunk rather than getting yourself educated, simply because any person with some awareness and any kind of basic education can separate reality from illusion and see how Arabs (vast majority) are discriminated against in Israel. There are also the Ethiopians for example, or Yemenite people (also Arabs), but they're a minority within that discriminated groups and are "preferred" over Arabs.
To bring about security means you need to build a society based on lies, secrets, misleading, illusion, intimidation, brutality, etc...?? Because that's what you are saying, and like I said before, you either have an interest in saying these things in order to promote your own agenda and support Israel and justify the acts, or you're just idiots. Either way, reality is reality, regardless of how you color it and sugarcoat it.
When people disappear off the face of the earth, are denied basic democratic right, when its done under complete secrecy & censorship..it means that there's something the people shouldn't know. It means you want to keep them oblivious to it, under an illusion, make them think it's all good when it isn't. Doesn't look like what a country would do when someone gets arrested for ANY reason.
To say that Israel is a democracy, that it treats people in a good way, etc, when more and more people are being secretly arrested, more people are being deceived, more people are being lied to and mislead, more secrets are being kept...it's just a preposterous, ignorant, unreal and an idiotic statement. Anat Kamm was not the first and Amir Makhoul certainly won't be the last. MANY people were arrested before and are being arrested secretly, yet no one hears anything about it, if you ever meet a peace activist in Israel, they've most likely been arrested and/or interrogated by the General "Security" Services of Israel at least once.
To the people who commented above - whoever and whatever you and your agenda may be...get real, educate yourselves.
i am an israeli.jew. not conservative.not right wing.
I have just one suggestion to you.
Come to israel
speak with israeli arabs. not with the jews.
go to arab states. TRY and speak FREELY with arabs there.
If you think that we are not different than all i can say is that i feel sorry for you.
Israel is a TRUE democracy. with flaws as any other democracy.
one more thing
It is the ONLY jewish state. and you are very mistaken to think that any israeli jew will be willing to give it up. so when it comes to true and critical issues of survival as a independant (note independant not democratic) state - independace prevails, thereafter comes democracy.
BTW - why are all the beuty qeens running after israel ? what about Darfur for christ sake ? what about congo were a woman is raped every hour (reported 9000 in 3 years) ?
the bottom line
F...k you and any other hypocrits like you.
if peace will happen it will be between Ali and ahmad and me and my friends without any politicians and americans and europeans
The man had spied for Hizbullah and he deserves the death penalty.Unfortunately there is no death penalty in Israel But there's only in Arab countries. Israel's democracy gives rights to minorities who hurt her.England shot a few years ago a man on the street who was suspected as a terrorist, without a trial. This course may.there is a double standard toward Israel only .It proves that the Christian world and the Arab world are antismetizem. Yes Human rights fighters are Ansisetizem and Racism
Can you vouch for Mr. Makhoul that he did not meet Hezbollah agents?
if there is suspicion - let them investigate it.
I cannot believe the nerve you've got to say that people "disappear" in Israel. can you give me ONE example of someone who was "lost in the 60 years of our existence? he is temporarily denied lawyer access. He will get a lawyer and his day in court.
bloody arab assassins in Israeli prisons are getting regular visits, mail, phone and academic studies in Israeli prisons. Gilad Shalit is rotting in some hole underground and no one knows what has happaned to him and you say that WE make people dissappear?
Give me a break, will you?
But your comment seems very foolish to me.
let me explain , let’s look at the USA there are a lot of minority groups like African Americans, Hispanic people, Gay people, Muslim people and a lot of other minorities who are discriminated on daily basis at work places,schools,police checks, governmental budgets etc ... There is zero tolerance towards people who might have something small to do with terrorism, people being arrested without any basic human rights and please spare me from telling you what is happening in Guantanamo's bay arrest camp.
Let’s look at France, there are new lows that are being passed now forbidding Muslim women to wear a vial a at public places, and tons of discriminations against Muslim and other immigrants everywhere.
I can go on forever with these examples, does anyone in the world questioning US's or France's democracy?!?!
Please come back to reality unfortunately discrimination and racism are a part of every modern liberal society the only difference is how the government fights them and yes I agree that there is much more to do to lower that unwanted behavior but comparing to a lot of other democracies Israel is in a good place. There are a lot of Jewish groups trying to help Arabs to integrate in the country, the supreme court is extremely sensitive towards any discriminating lows being passed and automatically cancels them, there are a lot of correction lows that gives Arabs better starting points, for example 20% of each university spots saved for the Arab population regardless to their achievements there are lows forcing public companies to hire a certain % of Arab population and I can go on forever.
It’s the only democracy in the world that allows its parliament members openly call for the destruction of the state and they are still serving in the parliament.
I remind you that Israel was formed as a Jewish state and like all the other democratic states in the world it have the right to protect itself from people who are trying to destroy it , if this guy is actually guilty and did at least 20% of the things he is being suspected he did I don’t see any harm in arresting him like they did, think how many people could have die because of his actions.
And please stop with the cheap demagogy, Israel isn’t Chechnya people aren’t being kidnapped and disappears from the streets to nowhere, if you were familiar just a little bit with the Israeli low system you would know that what you said is absurd, play fair and don’t make up stuff just to prove your point.
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