Palestinian-Italian activist and researcher Khaled el Qaisi has been released from prison a month after being detained by Israeli authorities. The 27-year-old was arrested on August 31 at the Allenby crossing which connects the Occupied West Bank and Jordan.
El Qaisi, who is of Palestinian and Italian heritage and holds dual citizenship, is a student at the Department of Oriental Languages and Civilizations at Sapienza University in Rome. He works with the activist group Palestinian Youth of Italy and is also one of the founders of the Palestinian Documentation Center.
El Qaisi was seized by Israeli occupation forces while he was making his way to Amman after a family trip to Bethlehem. The Israeli authorities also seized the family’s luggage and cell phones. El Qaisi’s wife was also subjected to questioning before being expelled to Jordan with their son.
Meanwhile, el Qaisi was held in solitary confinement at the notorious Petah Tikva detention center, and subjected to daily interrogations in the absence of a lawyer. His detention was renewed twice in hearings held on September 7 and 14 without any charges being detailed. His brother and two cousins were also arrested by occupation forces, Middle East Eye reported.
In a hearing on September 21, his detention was extended for another 11 days. According to a press release issued by his lawyer, that court had also determined that three days after the latest extension would lapse on October 1, the Israeli investigators would have to file charges against el Qaisi.
