Israeli court keeps Palestinian journalist Sumaya Jawabra under house arrest in the occupied West Bank for a second year
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A Palestinian journalist in the northern occupied West Bank has entered her second year under house arrest, after an Israeli military court confined her to her home over writings documenting Palestinian suffering under Israel’s brutal occupation.
Sumaya Jawabra, whose work has long focused on conveying the Palestinian narrative, has been barred from leaving her home for more than two years. The ruling has effectively silenced her journalism and restricted her communication with the outside world.
Her husband and fellow journalist, Tariq al-Sarkaji, said the Israeli occupation authorities have imposed sweeping restrictions on her movement and communication. “Sumaya has not stepped outside for two years. The house has become a prison,” he told reporters, noting that she is even prohibited from stepping into the yard or accompanying her children to medical appointments.
Al-Sarkaji added that the window of their home has become her only link to the outside world. “Her dreams have become very simple. She says the first thing she wants after her release is just to go to the market,” he said.
He stressed that the conditions of her confinement have deprived her of basic rights, including visiting family members and sharing ordinary daily activities with her children.
Journalist groups and human rights organisations say the case exemplifies Israel’s expanding restrictions on Palestinian media and freedom of expression in the occupied West Bank.
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
