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Update on My Friend, Anas, Who is Now Part of Israel’s Invisible Hostage Exchange

Not long ago I wrote about my young Palestinian friend, Anas, who had been arrested by the Israeli army.

A few days ago, Anas’ wife and family received news from the local, West Bank military authority telling them about his situation.

Anas was being held in an Israeli prison under the conditions called “administrative detention.” That is, he was not charged with any crime. There are no plans for a trial date. He was simply being held for six months in a military prison.

(There is no “civil jurisdiction” for Palestinians in the West Bank because they live under military occupation. Military rule is all they know.)

At the end of that six month period, Anas may be imprisoned for another six months — again without any criminal charges, trial, or recourse to a defense attorney.

But then, as a friend of mine who is a Palestinian defense attorney once said, “Without charges, evidence, or a trial date, there is nothing for a defense attorney to do within the military prison system.”

This unjust process of administrative detention may be repeated indefinitely.

During its recent ceasefire negotiations with Hamas, Israel released a number of Palestinian prisoners, mainly women and children, in exchange for Israeli hostages.

These were the visible prisoner swaps shown to us in public.

Anas is now a part of the other invisible prisoner swap taking place in the West Bank, often under the cover of darkness.

For every Palestinian prisoner released in a publicized, photographed hostage exchange, Israel is busy kidnapping and detaining many more Palestinian hostages whose stories will never be told on CNN or MSNBC.

Israel is busy ensuring that none of its dark, cold prison cells will remain empty.

This new generation of prisoners, like Anas, are also hostages; additional bargaining chips held indefinitely in brutal military prison conditions for whatever inhumane games Israel decides to play with their lives in the months to come.

If you are a praying person, please pray for my friend Anas, as well as the many other Palestinian hostages now held in Israeli prisons whose only crime is being Palestinian.

Mounting Evidence That Israeli Forces, Not Hamas, Killed Many Israelis on October 7

Learn about Israel’s “Hannibal Directive” — that is a long-standing Israeli military directive that instructs soldiers to kill their own people before allowing them to be taken as hostages.

Evidence continues to mount indicating that a good deal of the death and destruction committed in southern Israel on October 7 was due to Israeli military fire, not Hamas.

Journalist Max Blumenthal of the Gray Zone lays out the evidence:

Israeli Soldiers Shoot and Kill Two Children in Jenin

Jenin is a city with a large refugee camp located in the northern part of the West Bank. Watch the video and note the way “the most moral army in the world” treats Palestinian children.

“https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mh6eJHBkVEk”

If the embedded link in blocked, then copy the address without the quotation marks and watch on your computer.

Former Israeli Minister Calls for Gaza’s Ethnic Cleansing on Israeli TV

Khan Younis is a city in Southern Gaza. This former member of the Israeli Knesset is openly calling for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza on Israeli national news.

My Friend Anas Abu Srour is Arrested for Being a Palestinian in the West Bank

Terry and I first met Anas this past March as we sat talking with his young, pregnant wife, Maysan. We were visiting with Maysan in her father’s home inside the Aida Refugee Camp.

Maysan’s father is our good friend, Sayid, who was once shot in the shoulder by an Israeli soldier while standing inside his own home. Yes, such things happen often to those living under Israeli military occupation.

Maysan has begun a new, thriving dental practice in Bethlehem. She and Anas were eagerly expecting their first child, a daughter, who happened to arrive while we were still visiting in Aida.

Anas is the director of the Aida Youth Center, the organization which Terry and I have worked with closely over the years.

As the Center’s director, Anas is committed to providing educational opportunities and improving the lives of the many children growing up inside a refugee camp on the outskirts of Bethlehem.

Now Anas has been arrested simply for being a Palestinian man living in the West Bank.

Below is the account of what happened yesterday as posted by another friend, Munther Amira, on Facebook.

Please join us in praying for Anas’ swift and safe return from Israeli detention (all emphasis is mine):

We are deeply troubled by the news that our colleague and friend Anas Abu Srour, 35, has been arrested by the Israeli occupation army. Anas is the Executive Director of the Aida Youth Center in the Aida Refugee Camp, and is a vital member of the community. He is also a father to a newborn baby, a husband, son, and friend.
Anas traveled in his vehicle from his home in Aida Camp in the city of Bethlehem to the central West Bank city of Ramallah this morning, Tuesday November 28th. After completing an English-language exam in Ramallah, Anas sent a text message to his wife Maysan around 11:45 am, telling her that he was on his way home to Bethlehem. That was the last that Maysan heard from him.
After 12 grueling hours of not knowing anything about Anas’ whereabouts, we were informed shortly after midnight local time by the Palestinian Authority Liaison Office that he had been abducted by Israeli army forces. The Israeli military did not inform the Palestinian Authority of any details about Anas’ arrest, including where he was arrested from, on what charges, and where he was taken to.
We are extremely worried about Anas’ wellbeing. The current climate in the occupied West Bank is a terrifying one for Palestinians, particularly for Palestinian men like Anas, who are being rounded up and arbitrarily detained by Israeli forces. Since October 7th, detainees and prisoners have reported an increase in the systematic torture by Israeli forces against them, including beatings, verbal and physical harassment and assault, and being stripped naked during the arrest and interrogation process. Israel has also been enforcing the mass arbitrary imprisonment of thousands of Palestinian men, women and children under its policy of administrative detention, which Israel uses to detain Palestinians for months on end without charge or trial.
We are confident that Anas has not committed any crime, and that he was arrested for one reason and one reason only: that he is Palestinian. We demand the immediate release of Anas from Israeli custody, and the release of all Palestinian prisoners being wrongfully imprisoned by the Israeli occupation.
Please share this widely, and help us put pressure on the criminal Israeli occupation to #FreeAnasAbuSrour

What it’s like to live in the occupied West Bank amid Gaza war

Here is a brief (30 minute) documentary explaining what it is happening now in the West Bank as tensions flare during the Gaza war.

I feel that this information is especially important for American audiences as I find Christian news networks devoting more and more of their resources to spreading right-wing, Israeli propaganda.

CBN is especially guilty of this. I have recently watched several stories on their network accusing Palestinians in the West Bank of harrassing, attacking and terrorizing Jewish settlers.

Anyone who has lived in this area will recognize the absurdity of such claims. It is noteworthy that the so-called Christian journalists telling these stories never produce any evidence to substantiate their claims — no recordings, no films, no interviews — only bald assertions.

This documentary provides everything needed to arrive at an informed judgment about what it means for Palestinians to live under Israeli occupation, and who is attacking who in the West Bank.

The video is age restricted, so I cannot embed it into this post. Instead, copy the web address below (minus the quotation marks) into your web browser. It will take you to YouTube where you can watch it directly on your computer or phone.

“https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vk8jRFu3HRg”

Ben Norton Catalogues the Many Times Israeli Leaders Have Openly Announced Their Plans for Ethnic Cleansing in Gaza

Independent journalist Ben Norton has compiled a litany of statements made by Israeli leaders, both political and military, loudly proclaiming their goals for ethnic cleansing in Gaza.

They make no bones about it. Israel’s final objective is to eradicate all Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. Carpet bombing the people is a piece of their strategy.

And they are accomplishing their goals. Thus far, 1.5 million people have been displaced. Over 11,000 have been killed; 4,500 of them children; over 20,000 are missing.

The USA and other western powers remain silent.

Peter Beinart: Only Palestinian Freedom Assures Israel’s Safety

Mr. Beinart was once a staunch Jewish Zionist — read his book The Crisis of Zionism.

More recently, he has changed his mind. Now he strongly advocates for Palestinian human rights and an end to the Occupation.

Today he was interviewed by Amy Goodman at Democracy Now where he criticizes Israel’s slaughter of innocent Palestinians. Take a listen:

A Christian Look at the War Against Gaza: Episode Nine with Dr. David Crump

Rob Dalrymple has become a good friend of mine, so it was fun to do this interview with him. We began with a few technical difficulties, but it smooths out quickly.

We discuss several different but related topics: Palestinian life in the Occupied Territory of the West Bank; Christian Zionism and its relation to the modern state of Israel; the current war against Gaza; and the ethical demands for citizenship in the kingdom of God today.

I hope you find this conversation interesting, challenging and educational. I pray that it will move you to action in protesting the current war, calling for a ceasefire and negotiations.

Call you elected representatives and ask them to please demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.