LONDON: A group of Democratic lawmakers has written to the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, demanding the immediate release of a 16-year-old Palestinian-American who has been held in Israeli military detention for eight months.
Mohammed Ibrahim was taken by Israeli forces in February during a raid on his family home near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. The dual citizen, who was 15 when he was detained, is said to have lost a significant amount of weight and be suffering health problems.
In their letter, a copy of which was sent to the US ambassador to Israel, the 27 senators and representatives said they had “grave concern” about the treatment of Ibrahim, The Guardian newspaper reported.
“As we have been told repeatedly, ‘the Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of US citizens abroad,’” the lawmakers wrote. “We share that view and urge you to fulfill this responsibility by engaging the Israeli government directly to secure the swift release of this American boy.”
They also demanded to know what efforts were being made by the US government to secure Ibrahim’s release, and gave officials until Nov. 3 to respond.
