Palestinian journalist Mohammed Al-Qiq, 33, has spent more than 80 days on a hunger strike to protest being held by Israeli prison authorities under administrative detention. He is near death. We must take action to demand the US State Department pressure Israel to end Mr. Al-Qiq’s administrative detention immediately and allow him to be treated in a Palestinian hospital.

TAKE ACTION
TUESDAY, FEB. 16, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. EST (10 a.m. – 2 p.m. CST)
CALL the Israel-Palestine bureau at the US State Department
202.647.3930

TALKING POINTS
* Please pressure Israel to release Mohammed Al-Qiq from administrative detention immediately and allow him to seek medical treatment in a Palestinian hospital.

* Mr. Al-Qiq is a journalist and as such should enjoy special protections.

* A free press is vital to democracy and detaining journalists is not the sign of a democratic society.

* Israel currently is holding 6,800 Palestinians, mostly as political prisoners, and 660 of them are being held in administrative detention.

* Israel’s use of administrative detention violates the Fourth Geneva Conventions and the US Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.

* The United States has a moral obligation to ensure recipients of our aid uphold human rights and to turn a blind eye to Israel’s imprisonment of nearly 7,000 Palestinians and its use of administrative detention weakens our moral stance throughout the world.

* The US must demand Israel release all Palestinian political prisoners immediately and end its use of administrative detention.

TWEET
Please Tweet at US Secretary of State John Kerry, the State Department, President Barack Obama and the White House with the hashtag#FreeAlQiq

@ John Kerry
@ StateDept
@ POTUS
@ WhiteHouse

Please post to this page after you’ve placed your call so we can follow up.

(Photo credit: Wisam Hashlamoun / APA images and Electronic Intifada)