On Saturday, a Palestinian Jaffa family in Ajami — including a pregnant woman, children, and an elderly woman — was attacked by three Jewish young men, apparently members of the local religious-Zionist “Garin Torani.” Following the attack, the Women of Jaffa called for an emergency gathering on Sunday to discuss steps to ensure their safety in the public space. A peaceful march took place, and a strike in Jaffa was declared. During and following this gathering — which was legal and legitimate — more than 15 Jaffa residents were arrested, among them elected local leaders, some of whom spent the night in detention.

Among those who spent the night in detention was Majd Ras, a graduate our Change Agents course in the field of urban planning. Majd is an idealistic young man who left a career in accounting to study urban planning in order to contribute to his community in a direct and daily way, out of the importance he places on social change work.

Also arrested and released on the same day was Abed Abu Shhadeh, a longtime friend of the School of Peace. He frequently comes to give lectures and lead tours for our groups. He consistently enriches us with his unique perspective on the political situation, as someone who is deeply engaged on the ground both as a community activist closely connected to the field and as a politician operating within institutional arenas.

We view these arrests as political persecution. They are carried out as part of the dehumanization and criminalization of the entire Palestinian population, within and beyond the 1948 borders. This is an attempt to silence legitimate protest, and an effort to intimidate and deter a population that is demanding the most basic thing — to be safe in the city in which it lives.

We demand the protection of the basic rights of Palestinian residents of Jaffa, just as these rights are protected among Jewish residents — the right to live with dignity and security, freedom of expression, organization and protest, and to be free from political persecution.

In solidarity with the attacked and persecuted residents of Jaffa,

The School for Peace

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