Israel Has Imprisoned a 16-Year-Old Palestinian-American Boy for Two Weeks

Israel Has Imprisoned a 16-Year-Old Palestinian-American Boy for Two Weeks • •Photo courtesy of Adam Wajeeh Karakrah’s family. Adam Wajeh Abdelfattah Karakrah, a 16-year-old U.S. citizen residing in the occupied West Bank who had been arrested by Israeli authorities last month, was set to be released from Israeli prison on Monday. The family had paid his bail, and he had even boarded the bus for his release, his lawyer tells Zeteo. And then, at the last minute, Israeli officials tied Karakrah to another case. And imprisoned him again. The decision comes two weeks after Israeli forces detained Karakrah, alleging he threw rocks at Israeli cars and military vehicles. The details of his arrest have not been previously reported. Soldiers raided the family’s home in the occupied West Bank town of Sinjil, northeast of Ramallah, on the morning of Karakrah’s sister’s graduation party. The soldiers threatened his mother and sisters, scoured through the family’s phones, interrogated them, and pointed the barrels of their guns at them, Karakrah’s family says. “When I showed them his U.S. passport and birth certificate, they didn’t even ask [about it], they threw them in my face,” one of Karakrah sisters tells Zeteo. When the soldiers led Karakrah away, they blew kisses at the teen’s mother. ‘Just Meters Away From My Son’ Karakrah was set to be freed Monday after the family paid a 5,000 shekel (nearly $1,700) bail. But then, at the last moment, Israel decided not to release him. “Even though I was just meters away from my son, the Israeli army did not bother to let me see him or inform me that his detention had been extended,” his mother tells Zeteo, adding that the family had to pay another 500 shekels to get to and from the prison, which they waited at for five hours. “This followed hours of a long journey and waiting – under harsh conditions and amidst the painful agonizing psychological strain experienced by the child Adam Karakrah – after the immense joy of his release and a long period of patience only for him to be taken back among the prisoners.” According to Karakrah’s attorney, Israeli authorities closed their original case against Karakrah, but they are now holding him for an entirely new case, alleging that he was involved in rioting and other activities targeting Israelis. The family otherwise has little knowledge of what specifically prompted the re-detention, or any other details related to the allegations. Karakrah is among the more than 300 Palestiniansminors Israel is currently holding in prisons notorious for abuse, according to Palestinian prisoner rights group Addameer. After re-detaining Karakrah, Israeli authorities interrogated him further, according to his lawyer. They have now extended his detention until at least Thursday, when they are supposed to provide an update on whether they will seek to extend his detention even further, or open a new case before the court. Karakrah’s family reached out to the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem for help the same day he was taken. The embassy told the family they were aware of the case and were in contact with authorities. On July 30, a representative from the embassy visited Karakrah. Afterwards, the representative told the family they cannot interfere with matters of the law, but can check on Karakrah’s health and safety. The U.S. Embassy and State Department, as well as Israeli authorities, did not immediately respond to Zeteo’s requests for comment. Karakrah’s father and brother live in Chicago. The 16-year-old was supposed to join them in the U.S. after his sister graduated. Most of their family are U.S. citizens. Not Only American Detained by Israel Karakrah is not th