Fadi Amun

Articles

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Israeli Citizen Held for Months by Palestinian Authority: ‘Because He’s an Arab, No One’s Trying to Get Him Released’

Since September 2024, 21-year-old Muhammad Odeh has been held in detention in Nablus, where he has been indicted by the Palestinian Authority on charges of robbery. His detention comes despite the fact that, according to the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian police do not have the authority to arrest Israeli citizens. His family complained to the Israeli police and even contacted then-minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who responded: ‘Thank God, I am not responsible for the Palestinian police.’ The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories refused to comment. A Shomrim exposé

February 12, 2025

A Group of Druze Sheikhs from the Golan Met in Syria with Representatives from the Village of Hader

After the fall of the Assad regime, some residents from the Hader village in Syria expressed a desire to come under Israeli protection. Druze officials from the Israeli Golan, who crossed into Syria for the meeting—portions of which were recorded and shared on social media—claimed they had received permission from the IDF and were even accompanied by a military escort. However, the IDF denies these claims, stating: “The incident is under investigation, and lessons will be drawn."

January 26, 2025

Palestinian laborers are once again entering Israel illegally: This is how they hide

The Israeli government’s decision, in the immediate aftermath of the October 7 attacks, to revoke entry permits for thousands of Palestinian workers has led to a predictable and familiar outcome. Over the past 15 months, the trickle of Palestinians entering Israel illegally has steadily grown. While no official figures are available, their presence is evident: by day, they work on construction sites, and by night, they endure harsh conditions in makeshift shack communities.

January 23, 2025

The End of the Taboo: One in Five Golan Druze Holds Israeli Citizenship

According to data obtained through a freedom-of-information request, the number of naturalization requests submitted by Druze residents of the Golan Heights has remained historically high over the past two years. Within the community itself, those taking Israeli citizenship are no longer sanctioned and the issue is seen as a personal choice. While researchers disagree over what the future holds, they all say that what happens in Syria will set the tone. A Shomrim cooperation with The Times of Israel

January 6, 2025

Underpaid and Overworked, Firefighters are on the Front Line as Northern Israel Burns

The pay is abysmally low, the shifts are long, and the equipment is outdated. Additionally, there is a shortage of 500 firefighters and 25 regional fire stations. Since October 7, approximately 136 square kilometers of the Galilee and Golan Heights have been consumed by flames, making it impossible to overlook the Israel Fire and Rescue Services' lack of resources. Meanwhile, firefighters are forced to ignore some blazes and address others with minimal crews. The National Security Ministry responded: "We increased the budget in 2023 and allocated additional staff." Shomrim on one of Israel’s most burning issues

August 12, 2024

A Pregnancy Made in Nablus: How Fertility Clinics in the West Bank Became a Center of Attraction for Women from the Arab Community in Israel

Even though Israel provides all its citizens with free IVF treatment as part of the state-run healthcare system, many young Arab couples choose to go to the West Bank to fulfill their dreams of bringing a child into the world. Many of them say that they are treated better there, but the medical side of the equation is a lot more problematic

April 4, 2024

Exhausted by State Delays, Golan Druze Mobilize Community to Establish Emergency Field Hospital

October 7 has once again reminded residents how hard it is to get emergency medical care on the Golan Heights. In Majdal Shams, officials decided not to wait for the government to set up a field hospital – a process that took up to a decade in other communities. They did it themselves: the local authority converted a protected parking garage, purchased medical equipment and recruited doctors and nurses from the community. ‘We prioritized emergency situations and we would have set up this field hospital with or without external funding,’ says the council head

January 29, 2024

The Young Druze Revolution: ‘Our Leaders Should Represent Us, Not the Establishment’

Since the commencement of the war on October 7, seven Druze soldiers have lost their lives in combat. The Druze community, in addition to grappling with profound grief, harbors intense resentment toward Israeli society. Despite the widespread praise for their "Druze brothers" during wartime, sentiments of being treated as second-class citizens persist among many due to the Nation-State Law and the Kaminitz Law. Presently, young Druze citizens in Israel are conveying a clear message to their leaders: they've reached a point where they say, "Enough is enough," as reported by Shomrim.

January 8, 2024

Welfare Ministry in Israel Allocates Mere $12 a Month for Post-Trauma Treatment per Survivor of the Nova Massacre

Survivors of the October 7 massacre at the Nova Rave are entitled to funding from the National Insurance Institute to pay for individual psychological treatment, but experts agree that this solution does not suit everyone. To deal with the problem, the Welfare Ministry has allocated 1.2 million shekels (around $320,000) for nine months – which is supposed to fund a comprehensive administrative and treatment plan for 3,000 survivors and their families. The ministry argues that the paltry sum is because this is just a ‘complementary plan,’ but given the absence of any other government plan, it’s not clear what it is complementing. A Shomrim exposé

November 22, 2023

For Arabs in Israel, Coming Out is a Matter of Life or Death

More than 80 percent of LGTBQ Arabs in Israel are still in the closet because coming out might doom them to a life of social alienation – even from their immediate family. H was forced to become “a slave to older men for several hours at a time.” A fled to the big city and now she is homesick. They, and others, know the path to change is long, and they can only dream of holding their own Pride Parade. For now, they just wish leaders of the Arab community would recognize them, and for their lives to be safer. A special Shomrim report for Pride Month. Published also on Mako website (Hebrew), Followed by Kan Public Radio (Hebrew)

June 8, 2023

The Dilemma of the Arab Community in Israel: Joining the Fight to Save Israeli Democracy

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis take to the streets every week to protest against the judicial overhaul. Noticeable by their absence are Israel’s Arab citizens. On the one hand, Israel’s Arab community has a score to settle with the Supreme Court, which normalized the occupation, and from its point of view failed to protect it. The same can be said about Israel’s Druze citizens, who are still furious about the Nation-State Law. On the other hand, there are growing calls in the community for Arab participation: ‘We’re not doing anyone any favors – not the left and not the center. The damage that this government is doing will harm the Arabs first.’ A special Shomrim report

March 8, 2023

The Price of Silence: Arab Victims of Sexual Assault Don’t Want to speak Out

While the number of Jewish-Israeli women filing sexual assault and harassment complaints climbs yearly, Arab women are still afraid to speak out. Those who do decide to share their stories often deal with families who blame them for what happened, with assailants who continue to threaten them, with police officers who don’t do their work and with negligent social and psychological services. Three women courageously agreed to share their stories with Shomrim

March 30, 2023

Israel’s Housing Crisis is a Catastrophe for the Arab Community

Without a masterplan, without rental apartments and with a shortfall of at least 6,000 housing units a year – not to mention countless illegally built homes because there was no alternative – the housing crisis in the Arab community is making life impossible for young married couples and spreading even further. The reasons are known – from state neglect to the Arab community itself – still there’s no solution on the horizon. A Shomrim report

December 8, 2022

The Changing Face of the Golan: Record Number of Druze Requesting Israeli Citizenship

Fifty-five years after the Six-Day War, and more than a decade after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, the Druze population on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights is torn between the two countries. A freedom of information request filed by Shomrim reveals a record number of requests for Israeli citizenship – but these are often submitted in secret. Sometimes, even family members don’t know. One young Druze woman who took Israeli citizenship: I have never felt any kind of affinity to Syria or Israel. I asked for citizenship to make my life easier.

September 4, 2022

Israel’s Public Transportation Policy Throws Arab Communities Under the Bus

Public transport is a fundamental condition for growth and development – especially in struggling communities. For decades, the State of Israel and the Transportation Ministry have ignored the needs of Arab communities. Some of them have no internal public transport and, in others, buses go around the town. What about a train station in an Arab city? Maybe in 15 years from now. The ministry’s response: Developing infrastructure is a top priority

July 25, 2022

Israel to Issue Work Permits to Gay Palestinian Asylum Seekers

Three years after a petition was submitted to the Supreme Court, the state responded by saying that it would grant work permits to Palestinians who have been granted asylum in Israel because of their connection to the LGBTQ community or violence within the family. At a Knesset hearing, MK Mara'ana said: "The state's response sets right a historical injustice." The hearing was attended by Shomrim's Fadi Amun, who published a report on the issue

June 20, 2022

No Pride, No Work, No Rights: LGBTQ Palestinians in Israel are Caught in a Trap

In the West Bank, their lives are in danger and the threat often comes from their closest relatives. When Israel agrees to help, which is the best-case scenario, that help is conditional. Ninety-one LGBTQ Palestinians have been given residency permits for humanitarian reasons, but they are living on borrowed time and don't get work permits or health insurance. There are sentenced to a life of exploitation, sometimes even resorting to prostitution. Why does Israel not allow them to take legal jobs? A petition was filed on the matter three years ago, but the state has yet to respond. A Shomrim report for Pride Month