EDM: Arrest of Dr Mazen Al-Rantisi and Israeli action against Palestinian civil society

Arrest of Dr Mazen Al-Rantisi and Israeli action against Palestinian civil society

Tabled by Clive Lewis (Labour) 40 signatures

The motion

That this House notes with grave concern the arrest of Dr Mazen Al Rantisi, a 71 year old Palestinian physician, in a pre-dawn raid on his home in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank; recognises his longstanding role as a provider of care to low income Palestinians, including waiving fees, supplying medicines and operating a clinic serving both as a medical practice and a refuge for vulnerable communities; further notes that he chairs the Union of Health Work Committees, a non profit founded in 1985 which delivers healthcare to thousands annually, particularly in underserved rural areas, and which remains registered with the Palestinian Authority despite being designated an unlawful association by the Israeli military in 2020; also notes with concern that no reason has been provided for his detention; notes the wider context of Israeli action against Palestinian civil society, including the killing of at least 1,100 Palestinian civilians in the West Bank since 2020, at least a quarter of them children, with no charges brought, and that as of March 2026 some 9,446 Palestinians were held in Israeli prisons, including 4,691 under administrative detention without charge; notes the continued detention without charge of 14 doctors from Gaza amid allegations of abuse; condemns the arrest as part of a pattern of intimidation; and calls on the Government to protest this arrest, seek his immediate release, and raise concerns over administrative detention and the targeting of medical and civil society organisations with Israeli authorities.

Signatories (40)