Arrest During Dawn Raid
Erika Givara Rosas, Amnesty International’s Director of Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns, stated that Israeli authorities must immediately release Ghanem Najjar. The Palestinian farmer and land defender was detained by the Israeli military during a pre-dawn raid on October 27 in the village of Burin, located south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank.
Najjar was arrested solely for his peaceful activities aimed at protecting the olive harvest season in Burin. According to Rosas, Israeli intelligence elements had explicitly threatened Najjar with arrest if he did not cease his activities. These activities include organizing community work, enhancing mutual support among farmers through the Ard wa Zira Cooperative, organizing an annual kite festival in the village, and leading various cultural initiatives.
Pattern of Threats and Administrative Detention
Najjar has faced repeated threats since the beginning of the olive harvest season, with the frequency escalating during the week preceding his detention. His case illustrates the dual threat facing Palestinian farmers and land defenders: restrictions imposed by the Israeli military and state-sponsored settler violence prevent access to their lands, while Israeli authorities intensify their repressive campaign through arbitrary arrests, threats, and intimidation.
A military investigator informed Najjar’s lawyer that he is likely to be subjected to administrative detention. This method is used systematically by Israeli authorities to punish and persecute Palestinians by holding them indefinitely without charge or trial, based on secret evidence they cannot access. As of October 2026, Israeli authorities held 3,101 Palestinians under administrative detention.
Najjar has spent nearly a decade in Israeli prisons, most of it under administrative detention. He was first arrested at the age of 15. He is currently held at the Hawara military detention center.
Discrimination and Calls for International Pressure
Rosas emphasized that Najjar, like Palestinian human rights defender Ayman Bani Odeh and countless others, is targeted by a discriminatory judicial system that legitimizes Israel’s apartheid regime and illegal occupation. She urged countries with influence over Israel to use their leverage to pressure Israeli authorities to release all arbitrarily detained Palestinians, including Najjar, and to end the use of administrative detention permanently.
Burin has suffered from repeated attacks by Israeli settlers and military raids by Israeli forces for over two decades, severely impacting residents’ daily lives and livelihoods. These incidents include assaults on Palestinians and their property, damage to agricultural lands, and restrictions on farmers’ access, particularly during the olive harvest. Najjar, 36, coordinates the Resilience Network supporting farmers and shepherds during this critical season.
This report was produced by the HuMedia newsroom.
