Israeli Forces Arrest Palestinian-American Woman in West Bank
Israeli forces have detained a 46-year-old Palestinian-American woman after forcibly entering her home in the occupied West Bank, according to her family. The woman, identified as Samaher Esmail, was pulled from her bed in the early hours of Monday, and her family has been unable to determine her whereabouts nearly two days after her arrest.
The news of Esmail's arrest surfaced just before the arrival of Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Israel, who is on a diplomatic mission to negotiate a cease-fire in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Gaza. Esmail's congressman from Louisiana, where she hails from, has pledged to investigate her arrest, while the State Department is examining the matter.
Relatives of Esmail stated that Israeli soldiers stormed her house in the town of Silwad while she was sleeping. They dragged her out of bed without allowing her to put on her hijab, the traditional headcovering worn by Muslim women. Her brother, Mubarak Esmail, who resides in the United States, revealed that she lives alone and may not have immediately noticed the soldiers due to the drowsiness caused by her medication for uterine cancer.
The Israeli military has claimed that Esmail was arrested for 'incitement on social media' and has been taken into custody for questioning. The incident involving her arrest was captured on video by her son and shared on Twitter. The footage shows soldiers surrounding her and escorting her into an armored vehicle.
Esmail is originally from Gretna, Louisiana, the same hometown as Tawfic Abdel Jabbar, a Palestinian-American teenager who recently lost his life to Israeli gunfire in a nearby village. The death of Jabbar prompted expressions of concern from the White House and a swift promise from Israeli authorities to investigate the incident, though no findings have been released yet.
According to her family, Esmail frequently traveled between the West Bank and the United States, managing a family-owned grocery store in Gretna and working as a tutor at a local high school. While her family remains in contact with the U.S. Embassy, they have received no information regarding her current location.
Representative Troy A. Carter, a Democrat from Louisiana, has expressed deep concern over Esmail's arrest and has initiated contact with the American Embassy and the State Department to delve into the reasons behind her detention. He has vowed to gather facts about the situation, emphasizing the importance of Esmail's safety.
The State Department has acknowledged the reports of a U.S. citizen's detention and stated that it is actively seeking additional information on the incident. However, no further comments have been provided thus far.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Israel, where he is expected to continue his efforts to negotiate a pause in Israel's offensive in Gaza and reduce violence in the West Bank. Since the outbreak of the Gaza war on October 7th, Israel has maintained a firm grip on the territory, conducting frequent raids into cities and villages and arresting numerous Palestinians, some of whom have been accused of posting inflammatory content on social media platforms.
