Lander, Biss and Wiener Urge Israel to Release Abed Abu Shehadeh

Three incoming Jewish members of the U.S. House of Representatives asked Israel’s ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, to seek the immediate release of Abed Abu Shehadeh in a joint letter dated November 6. Brad Lander, Daniel Biss and Scott Wiener also requested safeguards for any proceedings against him and asked the ambassador to convey their concerns to Israel’s government. The letter describes Abu Shehadeh as a Palestinian journalist, political analyst and Israeli citizen detained at his home in Jaffa on November 3. It acknowledges that a court extended his detention through Sunday on suspicion of contact with a foreign agent, after reviewing evidence unavailable to his lawyers. The three cited an account from lawyers at Adalah that questioning concerned a podcast interview with Azmi Bishara. They called for any charges to be heard in open court, evidence to be disclosed to counsel and due-process protections to be upheld. That description of the questioning is the defense account relayed in their appeal. Lander, Biss and Wiener signed as congressmembers-elect for New York’s 10th, Illinois’s 9th and California’s 11th districts, respectively, following the November 3 election. They framed their intervention around democratic protections and the U.S.–Israel alliance. The letter asks Leiter to pass on the appeal and provide a response.