RAMALLAH, April 18, 2013 (WAFA) – Concern for the safety of non-violent Palestinian activist and organizer Issa Amro peeked following death threats made by Israeli settlers in Hebron, said an International Solidarity Movement press release on Thursday.

It said that a recent letter to Israeli security forces from Israeli settlers of Hebron, accused Amro of terrorism and incitement, and warned that the Israeli authorities failure to remove him “could be costly”, and threatened “bloodshed”.

In the letter, the mayor of the Jewish “Hebron Municipal Council” and the director general of the “Hebron Jewish Community” insist that army commanders use administrative detention until they are able to find a long-term solution to completely end this hostile and dangerous activity, referring to Amro’s extensive work with various human rights groups.

The letter claimed that, “This person [Amro] is the center of anarchist-terrorist activity in Hebron. This activity is not confined to incitement and organizing illegal demonstrations and violence, but also includes actual military operations, including Molotov cocktails and more.”

Amro has been violently attacked by this same community of Israeli settlers many times in the past - his nose and wrist have been broken and he received five stitches to his head. He and his family regularly receive death threats from the settlers of Hebron over the phone as part of their ongoing campaign of threats and violence against him.

Despite having received numerous death threats and abuse from settlers over a period of many years, Amro is particularly concerned about the letter of the 20th March, because of the status and influence of its authors.

Various Israeli websites have since issued calls for his execution, publishing various pictures of his face marked by red circles. Despite Amro’s long dedication to non-violent principles he is constantly identified as a terrorist by these websites.

Amro said: “I have been arrested and detained on too many occasions to count, but I have never been charged with anything.”

He says that he is regularly abducted by soldiers from his home, blindfolded and driven around for several hours before being left back at his house.

On other occasions, he has been beaten by soldiers who have threatened to kill him and his family. During his most recent arrest in March 2013, Amro was stripped naked and made to stand outside for three hours.

On the 27th of March 2013 there was an arson attempt against the Youth against Settlements community centre in Tel Rumeida – Amro was verbally abused and humiliated by police officers when he attempted to file a complaint and was ejected from their office twice before the complaint was filed. There has yet to be any investigation by the police.

M.H./F.R.