Protesters gathered in the Palestinian city of Ramallah on 16 November to oppose the imprisonment of Salah Khawaja, secretary of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee and a leader of the Palestinian grassroots anti-apartheid wall campaign, “Stop The Wall”.
Khawaja has been in detention since Israeli forces snatched him from his home in Ramallah in the early hours of 26 October. His family awoke to find at least 20 Israeli military and security personnel in their home. Computers were seized, and many items were destroyed.
No reasons have been provided for Khawaja’s arrest, but it is believed to be part of a general crackdown against Palestinian activists. In October, Electronic Intifada reported that the co-founder of the BDS movement, Omar Barghouti, was denied renewal of his travel permit. This took place amid calls from Israeli intelligence minister Yisrael Katz for “targeted civil eliminations” of BDS leaders.
On 9 November, the Israeli military court in Petah Tikva ordered that the interrogation period for Khawaja be extended for a further eight days. A witness reported that Khawaja was kept blindfolded throughout the court hearing and appeared frail.
During the protest on 16 November, it was revealed that in the early hours of that morning Israeli forces had entered Ramallah, raiding the offices of the Health Development Information and Policy institute (HDIP), where Khawaja works part time. During the incursion, Israeli soldiers seized computer hard drives, security cameras and two servers.
The army also caused severe damage to the offices, punching holes through walls, ripping down ceiling tiles, strewing files about and smashing two computers. Staff members report that the loss of the servers will greatly hinder their work supporting health programs for women, children and the disabled across the occupied Palestinian territories.
Witnesses also reported that youth who came out to demonstrate against the raid of the HDIP office were hit with sound bombs, tear gas and rubber-coated bullets. Two protesters were injured.
