Saudi Arabia launches arrest campaign against Palestinian expatriates

“There is an intensified campaign to arrest more Palestinians living in the kingdom, with the same charges that have so far been leveled against some 60 Palestinians."

JULY 8, 2019 22:43

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman greets Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas before the start of the 29th Arab Summit in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia April 15, 2018 (photo credit: HAMAD I MOHAMMED/REUTERS) — Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman greets Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas before the start of the 29th Arab Summit in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia April 15, 2018

(photo credit: HAMAD I MOHAMMED/REUTERS)

Saudi dissident and political activist Saeed bin Nasser al-Qamedi recently warned via social media that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been tracking down and detaining Palestinian expatriates living in the country, after the Kingdom launched a new arrest campaign to track down these Palestinian targets.

Qamedi explained that the Kingdom is targeting these individuals on suspicion of affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood, and that 20 Palestinian and Egyptian women arrested last year have already been release - allegedly these women have been instructed not to

“There is an intensified campaign to arrest more Palestinians living in the kingdom, with the same charges that have so far been leveled against some 60 Palestinians. The arrest campaign [also] involve a number of Egyptian citizens,” Saeed bin Nasser al-Qamedi wrote on Twitter.

تنبيه :هناك حملة إضافية لاعتقال المزيد من الفلسطينين المقيمين في المملكة، بذات التهم التي طالت حتى الآن نحو ٦٠ فلسطينيا.وأيضا ستطال حملة الاعتقال هذه عددا من المصريين المقيمين.
— سعيد بن ناصر الغامدي (@SAEED_NASSER) July 5, 2019

These allegations have been backed by a United Kingdom based NGO Prisoners of Conscience, and NGO focusing on human rights issues in Saudi Arabia. The NGO stated that over 150 Palestinians are currently being held in Saudi prisons, with 40 Palestinians being arrested in Jeddah alone - also claiming the agents who tracked down these suspected enemies of the state had committed human rights violations against these prisoners both before and after arrest.

Over the course of two years, Saudi officials have deported at least 100 Palestinians from the Kingdom for their support of the Palestinian terror group Hamas - either for participating in charitable activities supporting the terror group or sending money back home to the Palestinian territories.