US Muslim Group Urges Action Over American Teen Held by Israel
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) urged US officials to intervene in the case of Abdalkareem Issa Ahmed Safi, a US citizen with roots in Texas who the organization says remains detained by Israeli authorities.
"It should be unacceptable to the White House and Congress for the Israeli government to continue kidnapping Americans and disappearing them into prisons known for torture, all without any criminal charges or other due process," Nihad Awad, CAIR’s national executive director, said in a statement.
"The Trump administration has a legal and moral obligation to protect American citizens overseas, especially from rogue governments funded by American taxpayer dollars," he added.
Awad also called on lawmakers "to exercise its oversight authority and demand that the State Department secure Abdalkareem's swift and safe release."
CAIR and its Texas chapter said Safi has been "held hostage in an Israeli prison known for torture for almost four months without facing any criminal charges."
According to American Muslims for Palestine, Israeli forces raided Safi’s family home in Jalazone, north of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, during a nighttime operation in June.
The organization said the teenager was subsequently detained and is being held without a criminal charge or trial. It identified him as the third Palestinian American citizen detained by Israeli forces without charge or trial, alongside Sama Safi and Adam Karakrah.
Reports cited by the group said Israeli authorities issued an administrative detention order against Safi several days after his detention. The order was reportedly based on information that was not made available to his lawyer or family.
Administrative detention allows Israeli authorities to hold individuals without filing criminal charges or putting them on trial. Supporters of the practice have described it as a security measure, while rights groups have repeatedly raised concerns about its use and the lack of access to the evidence underlying detention orders.
CAIR’s call places renewed attention on the case of Safi and on the US government's responsibility toward American citizens detained abroad. The organization is urging federal officials to seek information about his detention and press for his release.
The case also comes amid broader concerns surrounding the detention of Palestinian Americans in the occupied West Bank, with advocacy groups calling for greater scrutiny of cases involving individuals held without formal charges or trial.
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