Palestinian journalist Abed Abou Shhadeh released after five‑day detention

Israeli authorities have released Palestinian journalist Abed Abou Shhadeh, ending a five‑day detention without charge.

Abou Shhadeh, a Palestinian citizen of Israel, was held in a Shin Bet intelligence facility in Petah Tikva after being arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of “contact with a foreign agent”. He was accused of receiving foreign money to influence Israel’s Arab voters, an allegation raised by the legal rights group Adalah, which is part of his defence team.

Speaking after his release, Abou Shhadeh said the detention formed part of “political measures” aimed at intimidating Arab society as a whole. He affirmed his commitment to journalism and to “the path of truth”.

His legal counsel, Hadeel Abu Salih of Adalah, said the police had no evidence and that the suspicion stemmed solely from a public conversation Abou Shhadeh had with Palestinian intellectual Azmi Bishara in Qatar, which was later criminalised because the speakers were Palestinians.

According to Adalah founder Hassan Jabareen, the case is part of a broader campaign against Arab and Palestinian votes in Israel, seeking to delegitimise their political participation.

Source: Al Jazeera. Photo: Magda Ehlers / Pexels.