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Israel Arrests
Geography Professor from the University of Akron
The
Detention of Ghazi Walid Falah
By DAVID NALLY
On the 9 July, 2006 Professor Ghazi
Walid Falah--a professional geographer who holds dual Arab-Israeli
and Canadian citizenship and is a University Lecturer at the
University of Akron in Ohio--was arrested by the Israeli authorities
near Haifa in northern Israel.
Some time before his arrest
Professor Falah had travelled to Israel to visit his mother before
she underwent critical brain surgery. On July 9th Professor Falah
packed his camera and headed for a popular tourist resort near
Nahariya, close to the border with Lebanon.
While taking photographs he
was approached by members of the Israeli police force. He was
subsequently detained and escorted back to his brother's house
in a nearby town where he had been staying. There he was ordered
to collect all of his personal belongings and was ushered away
by the police. To date no charges have been publicly brought
against Professor Falah and his attorney is under a restraining
order not to discuss the case with the media or public.
A recent website organised
by Dr. Colin Flint of Penn State University aiming to publicise
Falah's situation, relates the following:
On the 15th July Falah was
brought before an Israeli judge, who ruled that he was to remain
in police custody. His attorney, Hussein Abu Hussein, was not
permitted to enter the courtroom, to speak with Professor Falah,
or to learn the charges against him. On Saturday July 22nd Professor
Falah again appeared before a judge who extended his confinement
for four additional days.
Throughout this ordeal a gag
order has been imposed on Falah's attorney, and his family, who
live in Wadsworth, Ohio, have been denied communication and access
rights.
Although no charges have been
publicly brought against Professor Falah, the insinuation seems
to be that his photographs were being taken for espionage. Here
a few points are worth bearing in mind. First, like very many
social scientists, Professor Falah is an avid photographer: he
often took pictures for use in his classes at the University
of Akron, Ohio, and for his publications on the Middle East.
Indeed, many of his photographs end up on the cover of the Arab
World Geographer, of which he is the Chief Editor.
Professor Falah holds impeccable
academic credentials. He has published widely in Political
Geography, the Annals of the Association of American Geographers,
and Third World Quarterly. However, he has also written
very critically on Israeli geopolitics, and has worked with noted
Israeli peace researchers such as David Newman. As one Irish
geographer expressed it: 'Although not substantiated, there is
genuine fear that Ghazi's research may play against him in his
continued detainment.'
Thirdly, the fact that no charges
have been publicly brought against Professor Falah means that
his case is closed to legal dispute. The fact that his family
and lawyer have been refused access is a denial of very basic
human rights.
According to those involved
in publicising these events, there has been a 'swelling chorus
of international support for Professor Falah,' including concerned
activists 'in Israel as well as others in the USA, Canada and
Europe, and representations have been made to the Canadian and
Israeli authorities by professional organizations and individuals.'
Those appalled by these developments have been urging authorities
to meet basic standards of due-process and to respect Professor
Falah's human rights.
David Nally completed his Ph.D in Geography at the University
of British Columbia. He was recently appointed as a University
Lecturer in Human Geography at Cambridge.
Now
Available
from CounterPunch Books!
The Case
Against Israel
By Michael Neumann
CounterPunch
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