Heavily armed Israeli forces arrested the Jerusalemite boy, Abd al-Rahman al-Bashiti, on January 4, 2021 after raiding his home accompanied by police dogs in the neighborhood of Bab al-Majles in the Old City of Jerusalem.

The 16-year-old boy, Abd al-Rahman, was arrested 21 times. Also, several decisions were issued against him, such as deportation, home confinement, and financial fines. Until today he suffers from the bitterness of solitary confinement and the pain of chronic illness under a great concerns about his health condition.

“My son and his brother were, with two of his companions, on the roof of the house eating dinner and they were surprised by the soldiers of the Israeli forces over their heads placing handcuffs in their hands,” al-Bashiti’s mother told Safa.

She added, "Another Israeli force, accompanied by dogs, raided the house overlooking the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and terrified those in it and then arrested Abd al-Rahman and his companions, while they were handcuffed, and confiscated their electronic devices, and they did not take into account his constant suffering from diabetes."

big shock

The storming of the occupation was a great shock to Abd al-Rahman, which led to his high blood sugar level, his mother continued: he asked me for a glass of water and I rushed to call an ambulance in order to transfer him to the hospital because of his health and his need for immediate treatment, but the Israeli forces prevented his from treatment.

His chronic illness and deterioration of his health did not prevent Israel to release him, as the Israeli authorities transferred him to the cells in the Al-Maskobiya detention center, west of Jerusalem and during interrogation with him in a solitary cell, the level of diabetes reached 650, so he was transferred to Hadassah Medical Center for several hours, for treatment.

"They called me from the hospital, so I went to see my son to find him severly exhausted and in poor health, while he was handcuffed and feet bound on the bed under heavy security guard. Here I was fearful and anxious about his health and the possibility of him entering a coma," his mother said that with sorrow and pain.

On the second day, the Israeli authorities transferred Abd al-Rahman again to Al-Maskobiya cells for investigation without taking into account his illness and his state of health.

Despite the signs of fatigue that were evident all over his body, Abd al-Rahman spent 15 continuous hours in the investigation upon his transfer to the detainee.

Torture and abuse

“Since 16 days, al-Bashiti has been subjected to a prolonged investigation, abuse, and torture inside a solitary cell. In addition to the denial of visitation, sleep, and medication under the pretext of throwing firecrackers at the Israeli forces during the events in the Old City on December 24,” the mother stated.

But his mother denied these allegations of Israel, saying: "The surveillance cameras showed that my son did not participate in any confrontations or events in the region," noting that the Israeli authorities refuse to release him despite the danger of his health.

The Israeli Court has held 10 trial sessions for Abd al-Rahman since his arrest. All of which were secret, except for one session that his mother was able to attend, in which his face was swollen and his left eye looked very tired and exhausted. “When I saw him, I could not know him .. I told the judge this is not my son," his mother said.

On January 13, the Israeli court decided to release Abd al-Rahman on condition of home confinement and deportation from his place of residence in the Old City. However, the intelligence services appealed the decision and demanded an extension of his detention, as he constitutes a threat to the security of Israel.

His mother appeals to all concerned authorities and human rights and international institutions to urgently intervene to save her son's life and to immediately release him to receive the necessary treatment.

To save Abd el-Rahman, his family and activists launched a campaign in both Arabic and English on social media to show solidarity with him and to pressure local and international human rights bodies to intervene urgently and put pressure on the Israeli government to urgently release him.

Apparent dereliction

Head of Jerusalemites detainees and prisoners families committee, Amjad Abu Asab, told Safa that the Israeli authorities target the emerging Palestinian generation, specifically in the Old City, where the boy Abd el-Rahman lives in a house overlooking Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is the site of Israel’s ambitions.

He explains that Israel has been targeting al-Bashiti family for years by arresting, pursuing, and deporting its sons. The house of al-Bashiti family has been subjected to constant incursions. Its son Hisham 20, is still being arrested in Megiddo prison without trial until now.

Abd al-Rahman needs constant medical follow-up and taking large quantities of insulin needles,to check on his sugar level, but Israel deprives him of medication and treatment, or even visiting a specialist doctor in order to pressure his family to leave the house, according to Abu Asab.

He considers that Israel, by doing so, violates international humanitarian and Israeli law in its dealings with Palestinian children and abducting them from the arms of their mothers.

On the role of the specialized institutions regarding the detention of children, Abu Asab says: "There is a great failure and complicity on the part of the human rights institutions concerned with prisoners and children affairs, especially the International Red Cross and UNICEF, in carrying out their role and bearing their responsibility towards what is happening against children and stopping the occupation's attacks against them in prisons."