Palestinian Journalist Held in Israel Following Election Interview

Abed Abou Shhadeh, a Palestinian journalist and political activist, is being held in an Israeli intelligence facility in Petah Tikva. A magistrate in Tel Aviv ordered on Wednesday that he remain in custody until Sunday, November 8. The decision came one day after security forces raided his home in Jaffa.

Abou Shhadeh is a Palestinian citizen of Israel who hosts the al-Midan podcast for the Arab48 website. He also appeared as an analyst on Al Jazeera during coverage of the recent Israeli election. Police requested an eight-day extension of his detention, citing suspicion of contact with a foreign agent. His defense team, which includes the legal rights group Adalah, has filed an appeal against the detention order.

Hassan Jabareen, founder of Adalah, told Al Jazeera that Abou Shhadeh was charged with receiving money from foreign agents to support Arab-Israeli voters. Jabareen described the charges as fabricated. He stated that there is no evidence Abou Shhadeh received money from anyone and that a search of his home turned up nothing.

About 15 security officers, some wearing masks, entered Abou Shhadeh's home overnight on Tuesday. They confiscated electronic devices and books in front of his two children. Police initially did not inform his family of his location. His lawyer later confirmed that he was being held at a Shin Bet intelligence facility in Petah Tikva.

Israeli media reported that the arrest followed an interview Abou Shhadeh conducted in Qatar with Azmi Bishara, a Palestinian intellectual and former Knesset member. Lawyers for Abou Shhadeh said his interrogation focused exclusively on this conversation. Bishara previously led the Arab-Israeli party Balad. The interview discussed the Israeli election campaign and the status of Palestinians and remains publicly available.

Adalah lawyer Hadeel Abu Salih said in a statement that this is not a criminal investigation but a campaign to silence Palestinian journalists. She noted that the police are sending a message to the Palestinian public that a public conversation with a political figure can result in detention. The defense argued at the hearing that Bishara is not a foreign agent and that interviewing him does not create suspicion of a criminal offense.

Lawyers also informed the court that Abou Shhadeh has worked as a journalist for about six years. They emphasized that the interview was not a secret meeting. Investigators already possess his phone and computer, so there is no real risk of him obstructing the investigation, according to reports from the Israeli daily Israel Hayom.

Jabareen connected the arrest to the political aftermath of the election. He said the motive is to show that Arab voters and political parties are illegal, preventing them from forming a coalition with Gadi Eisenkot, who leads the opposition. No single party won the election last week. Netanyahu’s bloc and the opposition must now form coalitions with smaller parties to govern. Arab-led parties achieved record gains this year.

Jabareen stated that the head of the Shin Bet and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu want to show that Arab voters are not kosher. He called the situation part of a campaign by these leaders. Dozens of Palestinian and Jewish activists protested outside the court on Wednesday to demand Abou Shhadeh's release.

Rights advocates have described the arrest as part of a broader campaign of intimidation against Palestinian citizens of Israel following the vote. David Zini, chief of the Shin Bet, has reportedly sought to question Arab party leaders Mansour Abbas, Ahmad Tibi, and Sami Abu Shehadeh. Sami Abu Shehadeh is the leader of the Balad party and a relative of the detained journalist.