'I wish I'd been arrested by the Jews', Palestinian nabbed by PA intelligence says
Emad Halayqa, an activist in the Hamas-affiliated student union Kutla Islamiya at Birzeit University in Ramallah, described on Facebook his mistreatment by PA intelligence services.
By MAAYAN GROISMANUpdated: MAY 10, 2016 14:37Palestinians supporting Hamas chant slogans during a rally celebrating Hamas student supporters winning the student council election at Birzeit University in Ramallah(photo credit: REUTERS)
Shedding light on the mistreatment of detainees by the Palestinian Intelligence Services, a Hebron student has publicly announced that he would rather be detained in Israel than in the Palestinian Authority.Emad Halayqa, an activist in the Hamas-affiliated student union Kutla Islamiya at Birzeit University in Ramallah, wrote on Monday a post on his Facebook page, describing the way he was treated by the intelligence services."The last time Fatah intelligence arrested me, one of their investigators told me: 'I warn you not to tell anyone that we have beaten you,’” Halayqa claimed, adding that PA intelligence threatened to attack him if he said anything."In the morning I received three phone calls from the intelligence services, and in the evening they came to my house and demanded that I surrender tomorrow," Halayqa wrote.Halayqa did not specify in his post the reason for his arrest, but he may have been targeted by Palestinian intelligence because he participated in Kutla Islamiyah's elections campaign at Birzeit University at the end of April. The Hamas-affiliated students union scored a stirring victory in these elections."The democracy you talked about before the elections has been exposed in its ugliest character after the elections," Halayqa said, referring to the Palestinian authorities.The Hebron student concluded his post with an exceptional greeting: "I am not your servant and I will not be. Send me the Jews. I wish they would arrest me and save me from your violations."