Ameer Makhoul, israeli-palestinian human rights defender arrested

The Euro-Mediterranean Non-Governmental Platform has learned with stupefaction the arrest of Mr. Ameer Makhoul, General Director of Ittijah, by the Shabak. It raises the voluntarily dramatization of this arrest since it was carried out at night and at Mr. Makhoul’s home.

Mr. Ameer Makhoul has already been harassed by the Israeli Security Services who exercised humiliating checks on him in the borders and banned him recently from traveling outside Israel.

The Euro-Mediterranean Non-Governmental Platform calls upon the Israeli authorities to stop the criminalization of civil society organizations which do not accept to submit to their policy.

The Platform observes that this arrest falls within a process that aims in general at restricting democratic freedoms in Israel.

The Euromed Platform assures Ameer Makhoul its active solidarity and demands that he would be able to participate in the Euromed Civil Forum that will take place in Alicante, from 14 to 16 May 2010.

Palestinian human rights organizations have issued a declaration calling on the international community to take a strong staind against israeli policies towards human rights defenders.