Israel detains Palestinian activist without charge

Israeli police have detained Abed Abou Shhadeh, a former city council representative of the Palestinian community in Jaffa, a southern suburb of Tel Aviv, Al Jazeera reported on Wednesday. Palestinian legal group Adalah told Al Jazeera that Israeli police searched Abou Shhadeh’s house and arrested him overnight but have not yet charged him with anything. The rights group said he is currently being held in a detention centre and is due to appear in an Israeli court later on Wednesday. “This is not a criminal investigation – it is a campaign to silence Arab journalists and political activists,” Adalah said. Wafa also reported on Wednesday that a Palestinian man and a foreign solidarity activist were injured on Wednesday evening after being beaten by Israeli settlers in the village of al-Duyuk, west of Jericho. The Palestine Red Crescent Society told Wafa its crews treated the wounded and transferred them both to hospital.