US lawmakers urge Trump team to free of American student held by Israel

More than 40 members of the United States Congress person penned a missive to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling connected him to propulsion for the merchandise of Sama Safi, a 20-year-old US national who has been detained by the Israeli subject since June.

The legislators warned connected Tuesday that the Palestinian American student’s wellness is deteriorating “under appalling conditions” successful Israeli custody.

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“Every time that Sama remains wrongfully detained successful these inhumane conditions, she is astatine greater hazard of irreversible and life-threatening repercussions,” the lawmakers, led by Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, wrote to Rubio.

“Her beingness is astatine hazard connected your watch. We impulse you to enactment swiftly and usage each instrumentality astatine your disposal to unafraid the contiguous merchandise of Sama Safi truthful that she tin person the aesculapian attraction she urgently needs and instrumentality to her family, her studies, and the beingness and state that each 20-year-old deserves.”

Six US senators – including Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Chris Van Hollen – signed connected to the missive alongside dozens of members of the House of Representatives.

Israeli forces abducted Safi, who was attending Birzeit University, from her location successful the occupied West Bank successful a predawn raid astir 3 months ago, and they person been holding her without charge.

Safi was 1 of 4 young women who were detained arsenic portion of an Israeli crackdown connected anti-occupation activism successful June.

Abuse successful Israeli jails

Israel has received astir $25bn successful US subject assistance since the commencement of the genocidal warfare connected Gaza successful October 2023.

Over the past years, Israeli soldiers and settlers person killed respective US citizens, including Sayfollah Musallet, who was beaten to decease successful a settler onslaught past year.

In February, Israeli settlers besides fatally shot 19-year-old American national Nasrallah Abu Siyam. In 2024, the Israeli subject killed Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a US activistic from Seattle.

None of the incidents person resulted successful transgression charges against the perpetrators.

Israel detained American teen Mohammed Ibrahim for 9 months past twelvemonth and lone released him aft an outcry from US lawmakers, arsenic his household warned that the lad whitethorn dice from malnutrition and mistreatment successful Israeli custody.

Rights groups person documented horrific and wide abuses against Palestinian detainees by Israel, including intersexual violence.

“Emergency measures introduced aft 7 October 2023 exposed Palestinian detainees to torture, perchance unlawful deaths, incommunicado detention, and degrading conditions,” Alice Jill Edwards, the United Nations peculiar rapporteur connected torture, said successful a study successful May.

In their missive to Rubio, the US lawmakers underscored that Safi suffers from a chronic aesculapian information known arsenic Familial Mediterranean Fever, a familial upset that causes fevers and inflammation, but she has not had regular entree to her medication.

The Palestinian American detainee has besides been moved crossed respective facilities.

“She describes being subjected to repeated verbal maltreatment and being placed successful achy accent positions, arsenic good arsenic the beingness of rapidly spreading infectious tegument disease, rats, and mattresses reeking of feces,” the missive said.

Trump medication ‘aware’ of the case

The State Department said it does not remark connected legislature correspondence, and it declined to remark connected the specifics of Safi’s case, citing privateness concerns.

A State Department spokesperson told Al Jazeera that the medication of President Donald Trump “has nary higher precedence than the information and security” of US citizens.

“We are alert of reports of an American detained successful the West Bank,” the spokesperson said. “The Trump Administration takes its committedness to assist Americans overseas earnestly and we are tracking the situation. When  Americans are detained abroad, the Department advocates for their entree to capable aesculapian care, due treatment, and regular consular visits.”

Raed Jarrar, advocacy manager astatine the US-based rights radical DAWN, suggested Safi’s detention should trigger suspending American subject assistance to Israel nether Washington’s regulations, including the Leahy Law.

“Sama Safi is an American citizen. Her ain authorities has abandoned her,” helium told Al Jazeera. “The State Department’s occupation is to combat for her release, and it is refusing to bash that job. US instrumentality demands much than advocacy. Under the Foreign Assistance Act and the Leahy Law, prolonged detention without complaint is simply a gross usurpation of quality rights, and Washington indispensable chopped each subject assistance to the Israeli units liable for holding her.”

The Israeli authorities did not respond to Al Jazeera’s petition for remark by the clip of publication.

Earlier this month, the Israeli subject told Florida vigor presumption WMNF that it detained 4 “female suspects” successful the West Bank “after promoting hostile violent enactment and further terrorist-related activities”.