Joint Press Release

The Al Mezan Center for Human Rights (Al Mezan) and Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel (Adalah) condemn the arrest, by Israeli security forces, of Fawzi Jawdat Ahmed Abdel ‘Al, 23. The arrest took place on Tuesday morning 8 September 2015 while Abdel ‘Al was on his way from Gaza to receive medical treatment at a hospital in East Jerusalem. Al Mezan and Adalah had intervened to help Abedl ‘Al secure a permit from the Israeli authorities to travel via the Erez crossing. The Israeli authority’s arrest of Abdel ‘Al serves as an example of the steep barriers that Palestinian patients from Gaza continue to face when attempting to travel via Erez crossing; even those patients that have received the necessary crossing permit from the Israeli side. Abdel ‘Al is one of three patients arrested by Israeli security forces at Erez crossing in 2015.  

The two organizations call for an end to the arrest and interrogation of patients at Erez crossing; to the delay and rejection of patient requests to access medical treatment in hospitals outside Gaza; and for an immediate halt to the practice of coercion of patients during the interviews at Erez crossing, whereby Israeli security exert pressure on patients to give information about their neighbors, friends, and family members. The two organizations assert that Israel’s continued delay and denial of medical treatment is a form of cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment, amounting to torture. The two organizations call on the international community to intervene without delay.   

According to information available to the two organizations, at approximately 11:20 am on Tuesday, 8 September 2015, the Israeli security forces based at Erez crossing arrested Fawzi Jawdat Abdel ‘Al, 23, while he was on his way to St. Joseph Hospital in East Jerusalem. Abdel ‘Al suffers from an eye socket disorder due to an injury to his right eye that caused a severe tear in the tear ducts.  The patient had applied twice to the Israeli authority to obtain a crossing permit. The first application was on 21 July and the second was on 25 August. The application processes were suspended and he did not receive a reply. Patient Abdel ‘Al registered a complaint with Al Mezan and Adalah in order to obtain assistance in securing the permit, which he then received. As soon as Abdel ‘Al arrived at Erez crossing the Israeli security forces arrested him.  

In his affidavit to Al Mezan, Abdel ‘Al’s father, who was escorting him, stated that they had arrived at Erez crossing at 10:00 am on Tuesday, and waited. At 11:20 am an Israeli soldier summoned Fawzi. At approximately 3:00 pm, the same Israeli soldier informed Fawzi’s father that his son had been arrested. He ordered the father to leave the crossing area. Upon receiving authorization from the family, Al Mezan immediately pursued the patient’s case; however, Mezan’s lawyer was informed that the Israeli security agency had made the decision to deny the patient access to his lawyer.

Al Mezan and Adalah strongly condemn Israel’s arrest of patient Fawzi Abdel ‘Al. The organizations view this latest arrest as a continuation of Israel’s ongoing policy of coercion and exploitation of Palestinian patients. As such, the organizations call for the immediate halt to these practices; and the lifting of all barriers and restrictions imposed on patients requiring medical access to the West Bank, particularly East Jerusalem, and Israel.    

The organizations also call on the UN special Rapporteur on Torture, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, the UN Committee against Torture, and the European Union to exert pressure on Israel to immediately end violations that amount to torture and ill-treatment.

The organizations call on the Israeli authorities to provide medical treatment for patients as per international legal obligations. The organizations call on the international community to immediately intervene to release all patients/detainees and to work towards ending Israel’s systematic violations of human rights in general and of the right to health in particular.

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