‘This is a totally political arrest, they will not thwart human rights!’ Guy Butavia tells the courthouse

January 23rd, 2016

Awake Goy

This Activestills video records Guy Butavia greeted by supporters while being led through the halls outside the Jerusalem Magistate’s Court. Butavia is one of three activists, along with Ezra Nawi and Nasser Nawajah, who are being held in custody and their identities placed under a sweeping gag order by the Israeli government until yesterday. The three were arrested and interrogated by police as part of the “witch hunt” against activists, and after a sting operation aired on Israel’s primetime show Uvda, set up by undercover activists from a rightwing group Ad-Kan.

The three were arrested following a “sting operation” by Ad-Kan, a right-wing group that accused them of collaborating with the Palestinian Security Services against a Palestinian man who allegedly tried to sell Palestinian land in the West Bank to Israeli settlers.

Those who are detained have described the police using torture against them, as well as colluding with the settler organization Ad-Kan which is linked to the Samaria Settler Council.

English subtitles/translation, by Ronnie Barkan:

Hang in there, Guy!

Butavia: Ad-Kan didn’t just make an investigation for Uvda TV show. The police are working for Ad-Kan: the investigators sit in front of me holding Ad-Kan forms. They simply got all the questions, the pre-prepared investigation from Ad-Kan. The Israeli police are working for the Samaria Settler Council.

Respect, Guy! Stay strong!

Guy, do you feel this is a political arrest?

Butavia: This is totally a political arrest. Its sole purpose is to thwart our activity for human rights in the territories, against the crimes and criminals of the occupation. They will not break us, they will not. All the cases they have tried to pin on us they haven’t succeeded. Also this time around this entire case will fall apart.

Jewish Voice for Peace has again appealed to its members to protest the treatment of these human rights workers. Rebecca Vilkomerson writes:

On Tuesday, I emailed you urgently about Ezra Nawi. He’s a long-time Israeli activist who season after season stands with the Palestinians of the South Hebron hills while settlers (supported by Israeli soldiers) try in every way to drive them off their land and destroy their livelihoods.

After being spied upon by a right-wing organization and smeared on national television, he was arrested, detained, and denied access to a lawyer for four days. With a gag-order on the case, we asked you to help raise the alarm. Thousands of you contacted Israeli Embassies around the world to press for his release — thank you!

But the repression is getting worse.

Two additional activists, Guy Butavia (who is Israeli), and Nasser Nawajah (a Palestinian from the South Hebron hills), have also since been arrested and will be held until Sunday. Guy has been violently attacked in jail. Nasser was ordered released from the Israeli court system — only to be promptly sent to the separate military court system that only Palestinians are subject to.

The Israeli government is hoping that no-one will notice. They’re hoping that their attacks on human rights activists will go unchecked. We can’t let that happen. We need to show them that the world is watching…

This kind of harassment and persecution is nothing new — Palestinian activists have been on the receiving end of it for years. But now human rights violations that Palestinians face every day are being faced by the Israelis who stand with them as well.

This is not democracy. This is not justice. This cannot be allowed to stand.

We need to speak out, urgently — contact the Israeli Embassy and tell them to release Ezra, Guy, and Nasser right now and close their cases.

These brave activists put their bodies on the line. And for that — for daring to speak up for the human rights of Palestinians — they’re being targeted. They’ve been spied on by far-right groups, and smeared by the press. But they’re fighting on, and we’re fighting with them.

Stand with all those who speak up for peace and justice. Email the Israeli Embassy right now.