Abed Abu Shehadeh Freed After Five Days in Israeli Custody
The senior Balad activist and journalist was released without charges following an international inquiry into his detention.
By Ricardo Brooks ·
Abed Abu Shehadeh has been released from Israeli custody without charges after being held for five days. The Palestinian journalist and senior activist in the Balad party was detained on Wednesday following an arrest by the Shin Bet security agency and Israel Police. Authorities searched his home during the operation. He was freed on the following Monday.
The detention stemmed from a suspected contact with a foreign agent. Defense lawyers stated that the investigation rested entirely on an interview Abu Shehadeh conducted with former Knesset member Azmi Bishara. They argued the conversation was legitimate journalistic work that had already been made available to the public. The lawyers contended that interviewing Bishara did not justify criminal suspicion against Abu Shehadeh.
Adalah, a legal rights organization assisting in the defense, provided further details on the questioning process. The group reported that police focused exclusively on the interview, which took place in Qatar before the election. According to Adalah, no other allegations were put to Abu Shehadeh during his interrogation. His legal team also challenged the characterization of Bishara as a foreign agent, asserting that the conversation covered the Israeli election campaign and the status of Palestinians.
The case drew attention from three newly elected members of the United States Congress. On Friday, Brad Lander of New York, Daniel Biss of Illinois, and Scott Wiener of California sent a joint letter to Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli ambassador to the United States. The three Jewish Democratic lawmakers urged the Israeli government to free Abu Shehadeh immediately.
The letter outlined specific demands in the event that authorities proceeded with charging the journalist. The members sought disclosure of evidence to his legal representatives and an open judicial process with full due-process protections. Their intervention added to the calls for his release prior to his eventual discharge.
Abu Shehadeh holds Israeli citizenship. His release was confirmed without any formal charges being filed against him. The conclusion of his detention ends a week of legal proceedings centered on the published interview with Bishara.
