A petition calling for the release of Palestinian community organiser Anas Abu Srour has already gathered thousands of signatures after his abduction by Israeli Occupation Forces on 28^th November. Anas is the executive director of the Aida Youth Centre, which provides services for around 300 children in one of the largest refugee camps in Bethlehem. Children in Aida camp play in the shadow of an 8-metre concrete separation wall complete with Israeli military watchtowers. A plaque at the camp’s entrance welcomes visitors to “the most teargassed place in the world”.

In an online post, the youth centre documented how Anas was arrested while returning to Bethlehem from Ramallah where he was sitting an English language exam. For 48 hours, Anas’ family- which includes a four-month-old son- were not told of his whereabouts or reasons for his detention. On 5^th December, they were informed he would be held for a renewable 6 months in ‘administrative detention’, a form of detention without trial or charge. Colleagues say his only crime was being Palestinian.

Anas’ case comes after a surge of arbitrary arrests across the West Bank in the last few months, with numbers being held in administrative detention rising from around 1,319 on October 7^th to 2,070 on November 8^th according to Amnesty. Other reports say since then the number has risen to more than 3,000.

Administrative detention is a form of detention without trial that has long been used by the Israeli occupation as a way of repressing Palestinian society. Palestinian detainees are ‘sentenced’ under military courts on the grounds of ‘secret evidence’ and denied access to proper legal representation or visits. Reports of torture and mistreatment are rife. By contrast, Israelis living illegally in the West Bank are tried under civilian courts. The existence of parallel legal systems is a basis for the designation of Israel as an apartheid state by al-Haq, Amnesty, Human Rights Watch and Bet’selem. It is reminiscent of the now outlawed practice of internment without trial used by the British government in Northern Ireland or colonial India.

Organisers from Aida say that Anas’ arrest is a clear attempt to prevent the humanitarian and community work he has led in Aida camp. They are calling for international solidarity to pressure for Anas’ release and shed light on the thousands of others being held in similar conditions:

“Despite our outrage and sadness, we have not given up. Under the military court system, Anas’ lawyers have seven days to appeal the court’s decision. While we know that this system is an unjust one, designed to suppress and subjugate our people, we must do everything we can to try and bring our friend home.”

You can help with the following actions before 11^th December:

• Sign and share the petition amongst your networks
• Print out the leaflet template below to distribute at solidarity actions
• Post about Anas’ case under the hashtag #freeanasabusrour
• Follow @Aida_youth_centre on Instagram and facebook for further updates on the campaign