Israeli Police Detain Jaffa Activist
Abu Shahadeh was taken from his home days after Arab-led parties secured their best electoral performance in history.
By Samir Doyle ·
Israel’s domestic security apparatus moved to detain a prominent Palestinian political figure in the coastal city of Jaffa on Tuesday. The action occurred during a period of heightened political tension following the recent national elections.
Security forces arrested Abd Abu Shahadeh at approximately midnight. They removed him from his residence and transported him to a location that officials did not disclose. Arab48 reported that roughly 15 personnel, some wearing masks, entered the home. The officers detained Abu Shahadeh in the presence of his two children. They also took possession of electronic devices and several books.
Police stated that the Tel Aviv Central Unit and the Shin Bet are handling the case. A court issued a publication ban on the matter. Judges described the investigation as related to security concerns. Abu Shahadeh serves as the head of the elected Islamic Council in Jaffa. He also sits on the editorial board of the Arab48 website and contributes to the opinion section of Middle East Eye.
The detention follows a surge in activity directed at Palestinian citizens of Israel. These voters achieved record turnout in the elections held the previous week. Parties led by Palestinians won 19 seats in the 120-member Knesset. This represents their strongest result to date. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc saw its representation drop to 53 seats. In the 2022 election, that number stood at 64. The shift left Netanyahu without a majority to form a government. The opposition also failed to secure a majority, creating a political deadlock.
Likud, Netanyahu’s party, asserted that Palestinian parties stole the election. The claim cites allegations of foreign interference. Opposition figures argued that Likud exaggerated these claims to weaken the results. Palestinian-led parties rejected the accusations. On Wednesday, the Central Elections Committee certified the final results. The committee stated it found no evidence of irregularities that compromised the integrity of the vote or changed the outcome.
On Tuesday, David Zini, the chief of the Shin Bet, sought to question leaders of Palestinian-led parties under caution. The list included Mahmoud Abbas of the United Arab List, Ahmed Tibi of Ta'al, and Sami Abu Shehadeh of Balad. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara blocked the request. She stated publicly that citizens and elected officials require proper evidentiary grounds before questioning.
Sami Abu Shehadeh said on Wednesday that the arrest fits an effort by Netanyahu and Zini to steal the elections. He described the move as part of a campaign of arrests and threats against activists. He argued that authorities were using police and intelligence agencies to undermine the results. He noted that Netanyahu lost the election due to high voter turnout among Arab citizens. He called the event a serious crime but said it would not intimidate Palestinian citizens.
The Shin Bet announced on Wednesday that it gathered intelligence regarding widespread foreign funding. The agency said this funding aimed to influence election results. Security sources told the Haaretz newspaper they were unfamiliar with claims of operations involving thousands of people or huge sums of money. One source pointed to Zini’s declaration on election day that the vote was secure. The source asked why the funds were not stopped if they were indeed flowing in.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir urged Zini to arrest all Palestinian party leaders. He suggested they be interrogated in Shin Bet basement cells. Ben-Gvir declared that the election was stolen in the State of Israel.
