On July 31 at dawn, Israeli soldiers abducted the coordinator of the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC), Dr Moayad Ahmad Bisharat, from his home. The UAWC is, “a Palestinian grassroots organization that organizes Palestinian farmers to defend their land and develop their products.” Following the abduction of Dr. Bisharat, Israeli forces raided the UAWC’s Jericho offices, confiscating computers, laptops, and files from the organization. These actions follow the July 26th abductions of Fuad Abu Saif, the UAWC’s Director of Development and Operations, and the July 16th abduction of the director of the UAWC’s Jericho office, Mohammad Nujoom. In addition to these abductions, “UAWC Board Member Ahmad Soufan, held in administrative detention for one year, was recently ordered into a third term of six months in arbitrary administrative detention without charge or trial.” This renewal of his administrative detention is in direct violation of the agreement signed by Israel with Palestinian prisoners this May.

Hassan Safadi is currently on day 71 of a hunger strike in protest of his renewed administrative detention order. Last night, at 3AM, Hassan Safadi’s home in the West Bank was raided by Israeli forces who abducted his 30 year old brother Saleh. His mother, who suffers from chronic conditions, was released from the hospital yesterday to find both of her sons imprisoned without charge by the Israelis.

There are currently 4,660 Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails.

More information here and here.