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Press Release: Israeli authorities arbitrarily arrest a Palestinian merchant at Erez Crossing

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3 March 2022 |Reference 08/2022

The Israeli authorities at Erez Crossing have arrested a Palestinian merchant who was crossing into Israel on business with an Israeli-issued permit. Israel continues to impose a tight closure and blockade on the Gaza Strip, exercising total control over all crossings between Gaza and Israel, including Erez and arbitrarily arresting Palestinians in blatant violation of their rights to liberty, security, and freedom of movement.

 

According to Al Mezan’s field reporting, at around 2pm on 1 March 2022, Israeli authorities at Erez crossing arrested 48-year-old Palestinian merchant, Wael Taha Matar, a resident of Gaza City who works in Israel. His brother told Al Mezan that Wael Taha Matar went to Erez to cross on business, having been granted a travel permit as a merchant at the end of 2021. At around 4pm on Wednesday, 2 March 2022, his wife was informed of the arrest through a phone call from the Israeli intelligence services.

 

Al Mezan reiterates its strongest condemnation of Israel’s closure policies, notably its systematic use of crossings as a means of entrapment, arbitrary arrest, and often times attempted coercion of Palestinians in flagrant violation of international humanitarian and human rights law. Accordingly, Al Mezan calls on the international community to urge Israel to immediately lift its closure of Gaza, while ensuring the full and unconditional enjoyment of Palestinians’ right to freedom of movement. To this end, Israel’s policy of arbitrary detention must end. 

 

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