Israeli authorities detain Palestinian womens football player on unspecified charges

Israeli Authorities Extend Detention of Palestinian Football Player

A 20-year-old Palestinian football player, Rand Halawani, has had her detention extended by an Israeli court until Friday. Halawani was arrested on Tuesday evening and summoned for questioning in Jerusalem. The Palestinian Football Association has reported that four other women were also detained on Tuesday, including a former national team player.

According to the Palestinian governorate for Jerusalem, the court’s decision was made after Halawani was questioned by Israeli authorities. The military had previously arrested three other young Palestinian women in the occupied West Bank, alleging they were involved in “promoting terrorist activities and additional terrorist-related activities”.

Birzeit University has condemned the arrests as part of Israel’s policies targeting Palestinian education and students’ rights to continue their academic journey. Bishop Imad Haddad of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land has called for Natalie Abu Diyeh, a former national football player and university student, to be released.

The Prisoners Club, an association for prisoners’ rights in the Palestinian territories, reports that 89 Palestinian women are currently being held in Israeli jails. The group had previously announced that over 9,400 Palestinians were detained by Israel, including Palestinian citizens of Israel.

Source: Al Jazeera