48th Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council

Interactive Dialogue with Working Group on Arbitrary Detention

Joint Oral Intervention

Madam President,

For decades, Israel has employed arbitrary detention and collective punishment as means to suppress Palestinians opposing its settler-colonialism and apartheid.

As part of its crackdown on Palestinian civil society and human rights defenders, Israel arbitrarily detained Ms. Shatha Odeh, 60-year-old Executive Director of the Health Work Committees in July 2021. Unjustly prosecuted under Israel’s military judicial system, in violation of her fair trail rights, Ms. Odeh further suffers from ill-treatment, infringement on her privacy, and medical negligence.

Following the escape of 6 political prisoners earlier this month, Israel has employed collective punishment measures against over 4,700 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, including forcible transfer, interrogation, presumably under torture, and denial of family and attorney visits. Following the recapture of four of the escaped prisoners, Israel denied them attorney visits for a few days. Their attorneys later confirmed that they endured physical and psychological ill-treatment; including sleep and food deprivation, and physical violence upon arrest.

We call on Member States to:

1. Immediately intervene to safeguard all prisoners’ rights against torture and ill-treatment and collective punishment;
2. Acknowledge Israel’s silencing efforts as part of its apartheid imposed over the Palestinian people; and
3. Call for the release of Shatha Odeh and all arbitrarily held Palestinian detainees.

Thank you.