Palestinian Journalist Arrested In West Bank After Criticizing Abbas

Issa Amro sitting in front of his home Image by Youth Against Settlements

By Aiden Pink September 4, 2017

A Palestinian journalist was arrested over the weekend for writing a Facebook post critical of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas — and a prominent activist was in turn arrested for criticizing that arrest.

Palestinian security forces arrested radio reporter Ayman Qawasmeh on Sunday, with local media reporting that the arrests came after he called for the resignations of Abbas and P.A. Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah.

Issa Amro, a well-known Palestinian human rights activist, wrote a Facebook post Sunday night criticizing the arrest. By Monday afternoon, he was arrested, too, the Palestinian news agency Ma’an reported.

Amnesty International slammed the arrests. “Issa Amro’s arrest is the latest evidence that the Palestinian authorities are determined to continue with their repressive campaign against free speech,” Magdalena Mughrabi of Amnesty said in a statement.

The statement also noted “a chilling escalation in attacks on media and freedom of expression by both the Palestinian authorities in the West Bank and the Hamas de facto administration in Gaza, detaining a string of journalists and shutting down opposition websites.”

Amro is currently on trial in an Israeli military court for incitement, though the case is on adjournment until October.

Amro wrote in the Forward last week about his advocacy efforts in Hebron.

Contact Aiden Pink at pink@forward.com or on Twitter, @aidenpink.

Aiden Pink is the Deputy News Editor for the Forward. Contact him at pink@forward.com or on Twitter, @aidenpink.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO