Leftist Palestinian Lawmaker Jarrar Arrested by Israeli Forces

Khalida Jarrar, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, was arrested Thursday in her home by Israeli soldiers, reported the Samidoun Solidarity Network.

According to Samidoun, dozens of Israeli soldiers arrived at Jarrar's home in Ramallah in the early morning, forcibly entered her residence, and temporarily detained her husband before arresting her.

Samidoun has called on the public to demand her immediate release.

Jarrar, is a leading figure within the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and has been targeted by Israeli authorities before. In September 2014 she was issued “special supervision order” that would have forcibly moved her from Ramallah to Jericho.

Palestinians in the occupied territories do not enjoy freedom of movement and this type of order is only possibly due to the ongoing occupation of Palestinian land by the Israeli military.

Jarrar refused the order and protested the deportation order by setting up an encampment in front of Palestinian Legislative Council. The deportation order was eventually withdrawn after an international campaign in support of Jarrar successfully pressured Israeli authorities to back down.

She is also banned from leaving Palestine by Israeli authorities.

Jarrar has served as a representative in the legislative council for the PFLP since being elected to the post in 2006. She is known for her work defending the human rights of Palestinians and previously worked as the director of Addameer Prisoners' Support and Human Rights Association.

Jarrar is not the only member of the legislative council currently in jail, according to Samidoun 18 other members are currently imprisoned by Israel, nine of which are being held without charge or trial under “administrative detention.”

The European Parliament approved a resolution on July 5, 2012 calling for the end to administrative detention and the release of Palestinian political prisoners, with “special regard” for jailed members of the Palestinian Legislative Council.

Palestinian solidarity activists claim that Israel's detention of Palestinian legislators is a violation of the Geneva Convention. Palestine formally joined the International Criminal Court on April 1, 2015 and are seeking to use the court's authority to hold Israel accountable for its alleged war crimes.