Israeli court prolongs detention of Palestinian journalist Abed Abou Shhadeh amid repression claims
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A Tel Aviv magistrate's court ordered journalist Abed Abou Shhadeh held until Nov. 8 on suspicion of contact with a foreign agent, as his lawyers reject the allegations and denounce a broader effort to intimidate Palestinian journalists.
An Israeli magistrate's court in Tel Aviv ruled on Wednesday that Palestinian journalist and political activist Abed Abou Shhadeh will remain in detention until Sunday, Nov. 8. The decision came after an overnight raid on his Jaffa home by security forces, during which officers seized electronic devices and books in front of his two children, in a display that his supporters say was meant to intimidate.
Abou Shhadeh, a Palestinian citizen of Israel who hosts the al-Midan podcast for the Arab48 website and has appeared as an analyst on Al Jazeera, was arrested on suspicion of “contact with a foreign agent.” Police asked for an eight-day extension of his detention, and his defence team, represented by the legal rights group Adalah, said it would appeal the order.
“There is no evidence that [Abou Shhadeh] received money from anyone,” Adalah founder Hassan Jabareen told Al Jazeera. “They searched his house and found nothing.”
“This is not a criminal investigation, it is a campaign to silence Palestinian journalists and political activists,” Adalah lawyer Hadeel Abu Salih said in a statement.
According to Israeli media, the arrest followed an interview Abou Shhadeh conducted with Palestinian intellectual Azmi Bishara in Qatar. His lawyers argue that Bishara, a former Knesset member, does not qualify as a foreign agent and that the interview was part of Abou Shhadeh’s journalistic work, not a crime.
Protesters, including both Palestinian and Jewish activists, gathered outside the court on Wednesday to call for his release. Rights advocates describe the detention as part of a wider pattern of intimidation against Palestinian citizens of Israel after the recent election, in which Arab-led parties made significant gains.
The case occurs amid ongoing coalition talks after Israel’s inconclusive election, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc and the opposition led by Gadi Eisenkot seeking partners among smaller parties, including those representing Arab voters.