NEW YORK—Ubai Aboudi, a US citizen and director of the Bisan Center for Research and Development was forcefully abducted by 12 Israeli military occupation soldiers at 3 a.m. on Nov…..
NEW YORK—Ubai Aboudi, a US citizen and director of the Bisan Center for Research and Development was forcefully abducted by 12 Israeli military occupation soldiers at 3 a.m. on Nov. 13, 2019, in front of his wife and children.
At his hearing before an Israeli military tribunal, Mr. Aboudi was remanded to Israeli military custody for an additional 4 months, though no charges were brought against him. Under the Israeli system of Administrative Detention his imprisonment can be extended indefinitely.
His family and children are suffering in his absence and are anxious for his release as they prepare for the Christmas season. “The abduction of Ubai is part of a broader pattern of disruption and repression of the fundamental rights of Palestinians, in particular the right to education, guaranteed by Article 26 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to which Israel is a signatory.” said Ahmed Abbes, mathematician and research director in Paris, France.
“It’s a crime that the Israeli military would pull a gentle soul like Ubai out of his home in front of his family in the middle of the night,” said Noam Chomsky. “They are clearly sending a signal to anyone who works with Palestinian civil society.” “Israel’s military is not used to facing any accountability. But this time, we are watching and speaking out,” added Abbes.
The Bisan Center works to support Palestinian civil society with a strong focus on expanding the right to education. Ubai has also been involved with Scientists for Palestine [S4P] to organize the Third International Meeting for Science in Palestine at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology which is compromised by Ubai’s abduction.
Amnesty International has also adopted the campaign for Ubai’s campaign release adding that Israeli soldiers confiscated his U.S. passport and stating, in sum, that his detention is part of systematic Israeli practice to discipline and punish Palestinians who object to Israeli Occupation.
“Given Mr. Aboudi’s involvement with the international scientific community, we fear that this attack is directed towards those with strong relations with international organizations oriented towards implementing change in Palestine” said Mario Martone, theoretical physicist and spokesman for Scientists for Palestine.
In response to Mr. Aboudi’s unlawful detention, Scientists for Palestine has launched a petition signed by scholars including linguist Noam Chomsky and Nobel laureate George Smith, among many others, calling on people to join them by calling their Senators and representatives to demand justice for Mr. Aboudi, and by signing the petition here.
Scientists for Palestine