‘We need help’: Family pleads for release of US teenager held by Israel

Washington, DC – Israeli authorities person been detaining an American teen for astir six months without proceedings for allegedly throwing rocks astatine Israeli settlers successful the occupied West Bank, a assertion the 16-year-old’s household denies portion expressing interest for his deteriorating health.

Mohammed Ibrahim, a Palestinian-American who was calved successful the US authorities of Florida, has been wholly chopped disconnected from his household since his apprehension successful February without visitation oregon telephone rights, his begetter and uncle said.

According to an Israeli subject interrogation video obtained by the household and seen by Al Jazeera connected Wednesday, Mohammed denied accusations that helium was throwing rocks astatine Israeli vehicles adjacent his colony northbound of Ramallah.

Zaher Ibrahim, the jailed teenager’s father, said connected Wednesday that the household has received reports that Mohammed is losing value drastically and suffering from a tegument infection. Ibrahim said helium is acrophobic astir his son’s wellbeing.

“Of course, we person fear,” helium said. “When you can’t sojourn him and you can’t get a telephone telephone from him, what bash you know? We don’t cognize if he’s dormant … There’s thing we know.”

According to the family, United States officials visited Mohammed successful detention weeks aft helium was arrested. But an email from a consular serviceman suggests that the officials were incapable to summation entree to him earlier successful July.

“The Israel Prison Service updated america yesterday that your lad suffers from scabies, and helium is being treated by a doctor. We requested [an] update regarding his healing,” the email said.

Scabies, caused by an infestation of mites, causes utmost itching and rashes crossed the body.

“We anticipation to spot him adjacent week oregon the week aft erstwhile helium heals,” the email read, pledging to support the household “updated”.

The Israeli military, its Ministry of Defence and its Government Press Office did not respond to Al Jazeera’s petition for remark by the clip of publication.

The US State Department declined to reply Al Jazeera’s questions astir Mohammed’s lawsuit oregon corroborate oregon contradict his detention, citing “privacy considerations”.

“The Department has nary higher precedence than the information and information of US citizens,” a section spokesperson wrote successful a enactment to Al Jazeera.

“Whenever a US national is detained abroad, the Department works to supply consular assistance, which whitethorn see visiting detained US citizens to guarantee they person entree to indispensable medicine oregon aesculapian attraction and facilitating authorized communications with their household oregon others.”

The US provides billions of dollars successful subject aid to Israel annually arsenic good arsenic diplomatic backing astatine the United Nations – assistance that has accrued importantly since the commencement of the warfare connected Gaza.

‘We get swept nether the rug’

Mohammed was arrested during a raid by heavy equipped Israeli troops astatine his household location successful al-Mazraa ash-Sharqiya, northbound of Ramallah, astatine dawn connected February 16, according to his family.

He is facing charges related to rock-throwing, but his relatives accidental they are disquieted that his wellness is deteriorating successful detention arsenic his tribunal hearings are routinely postponed.

Ibrahim besides expressed interest that Israeli prosecutors whitethorn usage grounds obtained by torture to incriminate his son.

Mohammed’s household is urgently calling for the US authorities to unafraid his merchandise earlier it’s excessively late. The teen is the archetypal relative of Sayfollah Musallet, who was beaten to decease by Israeli settlers successful July successful the West Bank.

Sayfollah Musallet [Photo courtesy of family]

Mohammed’s apprehension came amid escalating unit by Israeli forces and settlers successful the occupied West Bank arsenic the war connected Gaza rages on.

The Israeli subject has regularly carried retired deadly raids and home demolitions crossed the West Bank. For their part, Israeli settlers often descend connected Palestinian communities and ransack full neighbourhoods.

Mohammed’s relatives accidental his ordeal underscores the US’s unwillingness to support adjacent its ain citizens from Israeli abuses.

“It’s evident we get swept nether the rug. And arsenic acold arsenic getting assistance oregon investigations oregon immoderate benignant of justice, we don’t know,” said Zeyad Kadur, Mohammed’s uncle.

“Eight Americans have been killed successful the past 19 months. Where is our spot successful line? Are we fig nine?”

According to the nonprofit Defense for Children International-Palestine (DCI-P), Israel detains arsenic galore arsenic 700 Palestinian children annually.

‘Just a child’

Mohammed turned 16 successful jailhouse successful March. His household said that US officials person promised to propulsion for an betterment successful his jailhouse conditions and question his release.

Other than updates from the embassy, each the household knows astir Mohammed is done reports from erstwhile kid inmates who saw him successful jail. They besides drawback glimpses of him connected video feeds during his tribunal appearances.

Kadur, Mohammed’s uncle, said the household estimates that the teen has mislaid 13kg (28 pounds) successful detention, much than a 4th of his assemblage weight.

At Megiddo Prison, the aforesaid installation wherever Mohammed is being held, 17-year-old detainee Walid Ahmad died successful March owed to “prolonged malnutrition”, according to DCI-P.

Walid, who had been held for six months without a charge, besides suffered from scabies.

Kadur stressed that Mohammed is “just a child” who loves life, and helium was anxious to get his driver’s licence successful bid to enactment astatine the family’s crystal pick store successful Florida during the summer.

“There’s not a law, there’s not a country, there’s not anyplace successful the satellite wherever children are imprisoned and that state calls itself a democracy and doesn’t person visitations oregon telephone calls, oregon immoderate method – adjacent missive penning – to [contact] the parents,” Kadur told Al Jazeera.

Musallet’s case

While Mohammed is languishing successful Israeli detention, the settlers who killed his relative stay free.

In a abstracted incident, Yinon Levi, an Israeli settler who appeared to fatally sprout Palestinian activistic  Awdah Hathaleen connected video earlier this week, was rapidly released to location arrest.

Palestinians successful the West Bank are tried successful Israeli subject courts that person a adjacent 100-percent condemnation rate. But settlers are mostly prosecuted nether Israeli transgression law, and they seldom look accountability for attacks connected Palestinians.

That two-tiered ineligible attack is simply a facet of what starring rights groups telephone a strategy of apartheid against Palestinians.

“Israeli settlers tin travel to you, sprout you successful the head, and locomotion location to sleep,” said Ibrahim, Mohammed’s father.

“The Palestinian, if helium has his ain crippled of onshore successful beforehand of his location and the settlers travel to pain his car and helium pushes them away, he’ll beryllium charged.”

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee – a vocal protagonist of amerciable Israeli settlements – has described the sidesplitting of Musallet arsenic a “terrorist act” and called for Israel to “aggressively investigate” the incident.

But determination person been nary arrests successful the lawsuit 20 days aft Musallet was beaten to death.