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Palestinian leader, parliamentarian Khalida Jarrar arrested by Israeli occupation forces
In the early morning hours of Thursday, April 2, dozens of Israeli occupation soldiers raided the home of Palestinian parliamentarian Khalida Jarrar, a prominent leftist leader, feminist, and human rights advocate, arresting her, kicking down the door and holding her husband in a separate room. A leader in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Jarrar defeated an Israeli occupation attempt in September 2014 to expel her from Ramallah to Jericho for six months. Take action: Demand the immediate release of Khalida Jarrar!
Who is Khalida Jarrar
Jarrar is a long-time Palestinian political prisoners’ advocate, former executive director of Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association and a member of its board; she chairs the Prisoners’ Committee of the Palestinian Legislative Council. She is also active in the Palestinian women’s movement, a feminist and prominent voice for the defense and expansion of women’s rights.
Jarrar has been a visible and prominent participant in the West Bank demonstrations in support of Palestinians in Gaza, denouncing the occupation military’s killing of over 2,000 Palestinians.
Since 1998, she has been forbidden to travel outside occupied Palestine; when she needed medical treatment in Jordan in 2010, she struggled for months in a public campaign before finally receiving her treatment.
Thousands of organizations and individuals from around the world took action in August-September 2014, declaring that they stand with Khalida Jarrar and demanding the cancellation of the “special supervision order” forcibly transferring her from Ramallah to Jericho. Jarrar refused expulsion to Jericho. Instead, she has set up a protest tent in the Palestinian Legislative Council courtyard in Ramallah, where she lived and worke until the order was lifted on September 16, 2014. “It is the occupation who must leave our homeland,” said Jarrar. The tent was visited by numerous Palestinian and international delegations, including international members of Parliament.
There are now 18 members of the elected Palestinian Legislative Council imprisoned by Israel, 9 under administrative detention without trial or charge. PLC members have been repeatedly and systematically targeted by Israeli occupation forces.
The Khalida Jarrar Solidarity Campaign is being reactivated to demand her immediate release.
Take Action to support Khalida Jarrar:
1. Click here: Send a message to the Israeli Occupation Forces and demand the immediate release of Khalida Jarrar. It is important that the occupation learns that Khalida has supporters around the world who will not be silent in the face of this injustice.
2. Sign the petition! Sign and share this petition, demanding freedom for Khalida Jarrar immediately.
3. Contact your Member of Parliament, Representative, or Member of European Parliament. The attack on Khalida is an attack on Palestinian parliamentary legitimacy and political expression. Parliamentarians have a responsibility to pressure Israel to cancel this order.
4. Use the Campaign Resources to inform your community, parliamentarians and others about Khalida’s case.
5. Protest at the Israeli consulate or embassy for Khalida Jarrar. Bring posters and flyers about Khalida’s case and hold a protest, or join a protest with this important information. Hold a community event or discussion, or include Khalida’s case in your next event about Palestine and social justice.
6. Boycott, Divest and Sanction. Hold Israel accountable for its violations of international law. Don’t buy Israeli goods, and campaign to end investments in corporations that profit from the occupation. Learn more at bdsmovement.net.
Free Khalida Jarrar Now!
Please send the letter below to Israeli occupation forces and demand her immediate release:
Letter Text:
To Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Brigadier General Dani Efroni:
I write today to demand the immediate release of Palestinian member of parliament Khalida Jarrar. Jarrar, a longtime prisoners’ rights activist and political leader, was arrested in her Ramallah home in the early morning hours of April 2, as her home was stormed by dozens of soldiers and her husband locked in another room.
The targeting of Palestinian political leaders for arrest by Israeli occupation forces is an obvious attempt to silence and suppress Palestinian demands for freedom from occupation and apartheid. The arrest of Khalida Jarrar is also an attack on Palestinian women’s leadership and organizing.
Thousands of people and organizations around the world stood with Khalida Jarrar against the illegal forced transfer and expulsion by the IOF last fall, and we stand with her now and demand her immediate release.
The world is watching and we stand with Khalida against this injustice.
Sincerely,