Palestinian journalist says detention by Israeli forces is "part of political pressure"

Palestinian journalist Abed Abu Shehade, who was released today after being detained for 5 days by Israeli forces for "contacting with a foreign agent", said, "The attack against me is not disconnected from its context. This attack is part of the political pressure against activists, journalists, that is, anyone who does not fit into the far-right mainstream." he said.

Abu Shehade, who was released after the Israeli police and the domestic intelligence agency Shin-Bet (Shabak) did not request an extension of the detention period, emphasized in his statement to Anadolu Agency (AA) that his detention had no legal basis.

Abu Shehade made the following statements regarding his detention on the allegation of "contacting with a foreign agent" after he interviewed Azmi Bishara, the founder and former member of parliament of the Balad Party, which represents Palestinian Israeli citizens, in Qatar before the elections in Israel:

"The attack on me is not disconnected from its context. This attack is part of the political repression against activists, journalists, anyone who does not fit into the far-right mainstream. We must show solidarity to fight this, whether locally or internationally."

Abu Shehade stated that those who are subjected to such oppression in Israel are people who fight for justice, who want a better future and who dream of a political system where everyone can find a place for themselves and live equally.

Underlining that the discourse of war and death in Israel must end as soon as possible, Abu Shehade said, "We must start talking about reconciliation. We must talk about how we can build something better in these events." He also used the following expressions:

Abed Abu Shehade, who interviewed Azmi Bishara, the founder of the Balad Party and former member of parliament in Qatar, a few days before the general elections in Israel, was detained 5 days ago by the Israeli police and Shin-Bet, on the grounds that he "had contact with a foreign agent", following the raid on his home.

In the Israeli Parliament elections held in Israel on October 27, two lists representing Palestinians achieved a historical success, reaching 19 seats and occupying a key position in the Parliament's arithmetic.

Other far-right parties, especially Netanyahu's Likud party, claimed that Qatar was financing efforts to increase the participation rate of Arab voters, based on the success of Palestinian Israeli citizens in the elections.

Qatar, on the other hand, categorically denied the allegations that it intervened in the elections held in Israel or financed any activity with the aim of influencing the election results.

Chairman of the Israeli Central Elections Committee, Noam Sohlberg, also stated that the investigation launched into allegations of foreign interference in the elections would not affect the election results.