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
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Author: David Crump
Author, Speaker, Retired Biblical Studies & Theology Professor & Pastor, Passionate Falconer, H-D Chopper Rider, Fumbling Disciple Who Loves Jesus Christ
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