{"id":1750,"date":"2026-09-02T14:38:53","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T14:38:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=1750"},"modified":"2026-09-02T14:38:53","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T14:38:53","slug":"family-of-american-student-demand-us-secure-her-release-from-israeli-detention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=1750","title":{"rendered":"Family of American Student Demand US Secure Her Release from Israeli Detention"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The family of Sama Safi, a Palestinian American student who is being detained in an Israeli prison, has urged the U.S. to do more to secure her release.<\/p>\n

Grassroots pressure \u201chas been effective in forcing the U.S. embassy to visit Sama,\u201d Sama\u2019s aunt, Leila Farsakh, told Truthout<\/em>. The embassy has now visited her twice since her imprisonment in June, and has reported on the poor conditions of her detention. \u201cBut we need intervention from the U.S. government to release and protect Sama and all American citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sama, a 20-year-old U.S. citizen and psychology student in the occupied West Bank, was detained by Israel along with three other female students of Birzeit University in June, and has been imprisoned without formal charges. The other students detained with Sama are Jolan Abu Awad, Laila Nail Khalil, and Natalie Abu Dayyeh, who is a player on the Palestinian women\u2019s soccer team.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was wrongly detained,\u201d said Farsakh, who lives in Boston. \u201cThey\u2019ve accused her of belonging to a student group, which she denies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sama is being held in Israel\u2019s Damon Prison, under harsh conditions, and has reported facing verbal abuse at the hands of Israeli soldiers, medical neglect, overcrowding, and the spread of a skin disease among the women being detained.<\/p>\n

Women being detained at Damon prison have spoken of punitive measures and medical neglect, including being dragged and humiliated when taken outside for \u201cyard time\u201d each day. <\/p>\n

On August 19, Israel\u2019s far right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir visited the prison and boasted of worsening the conditions of confinement for male and female Palestinian detainees, while making threats against them. <\/p>\n

Sama\u2019s case is particularly acute as she suffers from a chronic health condition which comes with \u201crisk of organ failure\u201d if not properly treated, Farsakh, Sama\u2019s aunt, explained. \u201cShe has to have an injection once every month, and she has to take her medication, but they\u2019re not being regular in giving her medication.\u201d<\/p>\n

In this regard, Sama\u2019s case is reminiscent of the case of Terry Boulata, who was a student leader at Birzeit University during the 1980s and was imprisoned during the First Intifada. During her imprisonment, she suffered from a rare, severe health condition, and was only released after international pressure and global leaders stepped in. <\/p>\n

Grassroots pressure has had an impact on Sama\u2019s case, Farsakh said \u2013 and more must be built on that momentum. Farsakh spoke of the efforts of the Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU), the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), and the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) in agitating for Sama\u2019s release. Over 100 human rights organizations, civil rights groups, and youth organizations have also signed calling for Sama\u2019s release. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been very important to see grassroots mobilization in the U.S. for the sake of freedom of Palestinian prisoners,\u201d Farsakh said. <\/p>\n

These grassroots efforts brought Sama\u2019s case to the attention of U.S. senators and members of Congress. <\/p>\n

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Shortly after her arrest, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland) spoke about Sama\u2019s detention. In a video message, Van Hollen described her unlawful arrest, saying, \u201cIsraeli security forces came to her home at 3 am in the morning, and just took her without explanation. She told them she was an American citizen. They didn\u2019t care.\u201d <\/p>\n

Van Hollen pointed out that U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and Secretary of State Marco Rubio \u201calways tell us that their number one priority\u201d is \u201cto protect American citizens,\u201d and that they must secure Sama\u2019s immediate release to live up to these claims.<\/p>\n

In August, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan) posted on X that Sama \u201chas been subjected to unspeakable cruelty in Israeli prison after being kidnapped from her home,\u201d and that \u201cher doctors warn that she now risks irreversible organ damage\u201d due to Israel\u2019s medical neglect of her chronic health condition. <\/p>\n

Tlaib then took the lead in putting forward a letter, signed by 41 senators and representatives, calling for Rubio to pressure Israel for Sama\u2019s release. <\/p>\n

\u201cEvery day that Sama remains unlawfully detained in these inhumane conditions, she is at greater risk of irreversible and life-threatening repercussions,\u201d the letter explains. \u201cIt is your responsibility to ensure the safety of all Americans abroad, with no exceptions. Her life is at risk on your watch.\u201d <\/p>\n

U.S. citizens have not been immune from Israeli violence. In 2024, Israeli forces shot and killed American protester Aysenur Ezgi Eygi in the occupied West Bank. In 2022, Israeli forces killed Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh as she was reporting in the West Bank. And in 2024, U.S.-Canadian Jacob Flickinger was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza. It is unclear how many Palestinian Americans have been killed in Israel\u2019s ongoing genocide in Gaza.<\/p>\n

Israel has also detained other Palestinian Americans in its prisons. In 2025, Israel detained Mohammed Ibrahim, a teenager from Florida, in the West Bank. Detained at 15 years old, Mohammed turned 16 while in detention, and was finally released after a campaign brought about pressure from U.S. lawmakers. <\/p>\n

Farsakh insisted that grassroots pressure must continue, not only for the sake of Sama, but for all Palestinian prisoners. Grassroots pressure can \u201cuse the case of Sama to talk about all Palestinian women prisoners, and how this is unlawful under international law, and against American laws,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Sama\u2019s case should also serve to highlight the worsening conditions in the occupied West Bank, Farsakh said: the increasing annexation, ethnic cleansing, and fragmentation that are part of Israel\u2019s intensifying settler-colonial project. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an attack on freedom of education, freedom of expression, freedom of association,\u201d Farsakh said. \u201c[Israel] doesn\u2019t want people to organize, to talk, to socialize; they want them separated, and to leave the country.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s really a concerted effort to crush the new generation of Palestinian leaders.\u201d <\/p>\n

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Sami Safi\u2019s arrest is part of a \u201cconcerted effort to crush the new generation of Palestinian leaders,\u201d her aunt said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1749,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1750","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nFamily of American Student Demand US Secure Her Release from Israeli Detention - Smart Moving Home<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=1750\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Family of American Student Demand US Secure Her Release from Israeli Detention - 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