A media rights group is expressing concern after Israeli security forces arrested a prominent Palestinian writer in the West Bank.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said Friday that Israel should immediately explain why they have Lama Khater in custody or let her go.
Israeli officials arrested Khater, 32, Tuesday for alleged involvement in Hamas terror activities.
CPJ said Khater, a prominent blogger, is also a contributing opinion writer to several media outlets, including Qatar-based Al-Jazeera, the Hamas-affiliated Quds News Network and the Arab online women’s publication Meem Magazine.
CPJ said Israeli authorities raided Khater’s house in the southern West Bank city of Hebron on Tuesday and arrested her without informing her of any charges against her.
“We are concerned about the arrest of Lama Khater given Israel’s frequent use of legal measures, including administrative detention, to keep journalists in jail without bringing any charges against them,” said CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa program coordinator, Sherif Mansour.
Khater, who has nearly 90,000 followers on Twitter, recently wrote tweets criticizing Israel for denying Muslims entry to the Temple Mount complex in Jerusalem.
