US Coalition Demands Release of Teen Held by ’Israel’
By Staff, Agencies
A US-wide coalition is calling for the immediate release of a Palestinian-American teenager being held in "Israeli" detention since February of this year.
The coalition, comprising a diverse range of activists, distributed on Saturday more than 2,000 flyers at the "No King" protests across six US states, urging people to contact their representatives and demand the release of Mohammed Ibrahim, 16, from Tampa, Florida.
The group has been raising awareness about Mohammed's incarceration and lobbying their congressional representatives. In August, the group sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio to secure his release.
In the middle of the night in February, the "Israeli" occupation forces [IOF] forcibly took Mohammed, who was 15 at the time, from his family home in the occupied West Bank, and accused him of throwing rocks at a car - a charge he has denied. He is being held without trial at the notorious "Ofer" prison.
"Israeli" prison authorities have given him such little food while in detention that he has lost about one quarter of his body weight and has only been allowed outside for ten minutes a day.
The coalition told Middle East Eye it’s been over eight months since the teen was detained "in the middle of the night" by the IOF. They said his health is deteriorating, with scabies used as a reason to deny visits, while his father remains stuck in the West Bank.
Many expected that Mohammed would be released along with other Palestinians who had been detained by "Israel", as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal signed earlier this month.
“As the school season in the US begins again, we are acutely aware that the year has started without Mohammed,” the coalition said, urging urgent action as the boy “is sitting in Ofer with his life in constant danger.”
They highlighted that Mohammed’s cousin [Saif Musallet] was “brutally murdered by 'Israeli' settlers,” and the family shouldn’t have to beg the US government for protection.
The coalition said local governments in Mohammed’s and Musallet’s hometowns refused to demand his release or justice, while Mohammed’s state representatives have stopped communicating with his family and “refuse to put out a statement on the torture of one of their own constituents.”
They also said that people who recently returned from the Global Sumud Flotilla to Gaza had joined the coalition, including the veterans' contingent, and have been in DC meeting with politicians to try and secure Mohammed's release.
The coalition noted that politicians outside of Florida have made statements calling for his return.
Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley is the latest person to issue a statement. On Sunday, on a post on X, she called for his release, saying: “His health is deteriorating. The circumstances are desperate. The United States must use every avenue available to secure the release of this Palestinian American child”.
“We as a coalition are calling on every single US American to pressure your congress people and Mohammed's representatives,” the coalition added.
“We are running out of time.” She warned that abuse of children in "Israeli" prisons has increased and urged constant pressure on representatives to protect US citizens and take action.
Mohammed’s father, Zaher, told MEE in a phone call from the occupied West Bank, “It’s been eight months and we haven’t heard Mohammed’s voice or seen him. He’s missed a year of school.
“Marco Rubio assigned Mark Romano to Mohammed’s case, but ‘we’re not getting anything’ after a month,” Zaher said. “We were surprised he wasn’t on the list when 'Israel' released almost 2,000 people.”
The family has a court date set for October 29 and said they are hoping the US government will help have him released by then.
The US State Department did not respond to a request for comment at the time of publication and sent out an automated response saying that “responses may be delayed due to the government shutdown”.
