عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Protests in Syria's Deir Ezzor Demand Release of Detainees Held by SDF

A photo posted on Facebook shows protests in the town of al-Izba.
A photo posted on Facebook shows protests in the town of al-Izba.
TT
TT

Protests in Syria's Deir Ezzor Demand Release of Detainees Held by SDF

A photo posted on Facebook shows protests in the town of al-Izba.
A photo posted on Facebook shows protests in the town of al-Izba.

Protests broke out in various towns in Syria’s eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, demanding better living conditions and services and the release of detainees held by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Local Syrian news websites published Tuesday photos and videos of protests in the towns of al-Izba, al-Sour and Daman.

According to demonstrators, the SDF detained some members of their “Deir Ezzor Military Council” on charges of communicating with external parties hostile to the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (Rojava).

The residents also called for improving their living conditions and the equitable distribution of oil and fuel.

They blocked the main roads, set tires on fire, and raised banners condemning the arrests of soldiers who were on duty.

Areas held by the SDF and its civil administration have seen several similar protests, mostly demanding better services, the delivery of oil and fuel shares, fighting corruption, and compensation for people who lost their property in the international military operations against ISIS.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Israeli Defense Minister Says He Will End Detention without Charge of Jewish Settlers

Palestinians look at damaged cars after an Israeli settlers attack in Al-Mazraa Al-Qibleyeh near Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, November 20, 2024. (Reuters)
Palestinians look at damaged cars after an Israeli settlers attack in Al-Mazraa Al-Qibleyeh near Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, November 20, 2024. (Reuters)
TT
TT

Israeli Defense Minister Says He Will End Detention without Charge of Jewish Settlers

Palestinians look at damaged cars after an Israeli settlers attack in Al-Mazraa Al-Qibleyeh near Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, November 20, 2024. (Reuters)
Palestinians look at damaged cars after an Israeli settlers attack in Al-Mazraa Al-Qibleyeh near Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, November 20, 2024. (Reuters)

Israel’s new defense minister said Friday that he would stop issuing warrants to arrest West Bank settlers or hold them without charge or trial — a largely symbolic move that rights groups said risks emboldening settler violence in the Israeli-occupied territory.

Israel Katz called the arrest warrants “severe” and said issuing them was “inappropriate” as Palestinian militant attacks on settlers in the territory grow more frequent. He said settlers could be “brought to justice” in other ways.

The move protects Israeli settlers from being held in “administrative detention,” a shadowy form of incarceration where people are held without charge or trial.

Settlers are rarely arrested in the West Bank, where settler violence against Palestinians has spiraled since the outbreak of the war Oct. 7.

Katz’s decision was celebrated by far-right coalition allies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. National Security Minister and settler firebrand Itamar Ben-Gvir applauded Katz and called the move a “correction of many years of mistreatment” and “justice for those who love the land.”

Since Oct. 7, 2023, violence toward Palestinians by Israeli settlers has soared to new heights, displacing at least 19 entire Palestinian communities, according to Israeli rights group Peace Now. In that time, attacks by Palestinian militants on settlers and within Israel have also grown more common.

An increasing number of Palestinians have been placed in administrative detention. Israel holds 3,443 administrative detainees in prison, according to data from the Israeli Prison Service, reported by rights group Hamoked. That figure stood around 1,200 just before the start of the war. The vast majority of them are Palestinian, with only a handful at any given time Israeli Jews, said Jessica Montell, the director of Hamoked.

“All of these detentions without charge or trial are illegitimate, but to declare that this measure will only be used against Palestinians...is to explicitly entrench another form of ethnic discrimination,” said Montell.