[Pnews] PA arrests Omar Assaf over statement denouncing US-Israeli aggression on Iran

[Prisoner News]

peoplesdispatch.org
<https://peoplesdispatch.org/2026/03/27/pa-arrests-omar-assaf-over-statement-denouncing-us-israeli-aggression-on-iran/>
PA arrests Omar Assaf over statement denouncing US-Israeli aggression on
Iran
Peoples Dispatch
March 27, 2026
------------------------------

Palestinian activist Omar Assaf was arrested on March 25, 2026. Photo: File


[image: image.png]

The Palestinian Auth ority’s Preventive Security Services (PSS) arrested
Palestinian political activist, freedom fighter and former prisoner in
Israeli jails, Omar Assaf, after raiding his house in the central West Bank
city of Ramallah on the evening of Wednesday, March 25.

The Palestinian security apparatus claimed
<https://www.wafa.ps/news/2026/3/26/%D9%82%D9%88%D9%89-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%B9%D9%85%D8%B1-%D8%B9%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%81-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%AE%D9%84%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%85%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%A1-%D9%84%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%84-%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A9-144452>
on Thursday, March 26, that Assaf was apprehended by the PSS because he led
the drafting of a statement, allegedly insulting and criticizing Arab
states in the region regarding their role in the ongoing aggression on Iran.

According to media reports <https://qudspress.net/257974/>, Assaf was one
of 200 individuals, who signed the draft statement, which condemns the
US-Israeli aggression on the Islamic Republic. It also calls for the
removal of US military bases in a number of Arab countries across West
Asia, which have been reportedly
<https://peoplesdispatch.org/2026/03/12/iran-slams-unsc-resolution-condemning-iranian-attacks-on-us-bases-in-gulf-countries/>
used to launch deadly airstrikes against Iran.

Moreover, the signatories argued that these bases were installed to protect
Israel not the Arab countries and their people.
*Widespread condemnation from Palestinian rights groups and national
movements*

Lawyers for Justice, a Palestinian group of human rights activists and
lawyers, expressed
<https://www.facebook.com/advhuman.org/photos/%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D8%B9%D9%86-%D9%85%D8%AC%D9%85%D9%88%D8%B9%D8%A9-%D9%85%D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A3%D8%AC%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A9-%D8%AD%D9%88%D9%84-%D8%AA%D9%88%D9%82%D9%8A%D9%81-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%B4%D8%B7-%D8%B9%D9%85%D8%B1-%D8%B9%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%AA%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%B9-%D9%85%D8%AC%D9%85%D9%88%D8%B9%D8%A9-/1397128502449210/>
its deep concern about the detention of Assaf, which “raises many questions
regarding the extent of respect for legal safeguards and public freedoms
guaranteed by the Palestinian Basic Law.”

The group clarified that Assaf was referred to the Public Prosecution,
where he was interrogated over the following charges:

   - Violation of the measures taken by the state to maintain its
   neutrality during the war.
   - Defaming the authority
   - Stirring up sectarian strife.

It added that Assaf’s detention was extended for 15 days to complete the
investigation procedures, following the initial hearing.

Lawyers for Justice also demanded the immediate release of the Palestinian
political activist, who “should be tried in accordance with fair legal
principles that guarantee his rights and maintain his dignity.”

For its part, the International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights
(ICSPR) denounced
<https://en.icspr.ps/icspr-condemns-the-arrest-of-human-rights-activist-omar-assaf-by-security-forces-in-ramallah-and-calls-for-his-immediate-release/7175/>
the arrest of Assaf as a step that “reflects the continued absence of the
rule of law and public freedoms, as well as the escalation of arbitrary
arrests based on opinion and political activity.”

Meanwhile, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP
<https://saba.ye/en/news3672686.htm>) slammed the PA’s action against Assaf
as “an infringement on freedom of expression and civil peace, and an attack
on civil and democratic liberties.”

Hamas leader Mahmoud Mardawi <https://www.saba.ye/en/news3672690.htm> said
that the behaviour of the PA’s security services towards the prominent
freedom fighter represents a “disregard for national calls” and an “attempt
to silence free national voices”.
*Read more:* *Palestinian Authority forces kill two children in northern
West Bank*
<https://peoplesdispatch.org/2026/02/18/palestinian-authority-forces-kill-two-children-in-northern-west-bank/>
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