Many of you already know that 16 year-old Shadi Khoury was allowed to return home under house arrest after 41 days of "Administrative Detention", first in Jerusalem's infamous Moskobiya Interrogation Center, and later in Damon Prison east of Haifa. Two other boys arrested and seen in court at the same time were similarly released, but three other teens are still being detained.
Following the early morning raid on his home last October 18th, during which he was beaten for refusing to change out of his pajamas in front of the squad of armed soldiers, Shadi was hauled into a Jerusalem courtroom a half dozen times, only to have the hearing delayed by either the Prosecutor or Judge. During all this time, neither Shadi's lawyer, Nasser Odeh, nor his parents, Suhail Khoury and Rania Elias were able to obtain a clear understanding of the charges against the exemplary 11th-grader from the Friends (Quaker) School in Ramallah.
Finally, after nearly 4 weeks of delay and rescheduling, during which there was a growing outpouring of local and international support for Shadi's release, the Judge ordered the Probation Office to interview Shadi and report back with a recommendation. That recommendation was for Shadi to be released to his home and family upon the payment of bail and his promise to remain at home until his case is resolved. The recommendation did not even require an electronic ankle bracelet to monitor the teen's location.
The judge was willing to accept the Probation Officer's recommendation and ordered it so. The prosecution, however, was not done and immediately appealed the Judge's ruling to the Israeli Supreme Court. Finally, after several additional days waiting in prison for the appeal to be heard, the Supreme Court upheld the decision of the District Court and Shadi was allowed to return home late on Sunday of this week.
Shadi's mother could not hide her joy on Facebook as she posted "Shadi will be free today by the decision of the Supreme Court🌹" She continued, "Although [his release] is conditional on house arrest, restrictions and bails, etc, and the case and court procedures will continue while he is in house arrest, the most important thing he will be with us at home, our warm home, in the place where he should be, with Aboud (his dog). With all his family, friends around him, he will watch the World Cup and follow the matches with us, continue his education for this period remotely, and we will celebrate Christmas together."
Shadi's grandmother (and Sabeel co-founder) Samia Khoury was also excited to see him released. Though she had hoped to have him home in time for her 89th birthday observance earlier in the week, she told a substantial list of email friends and supporters, "[Shadi] is on his way home now, and the whole neighborhood is preparing his favorite dish of koussa wa waraq (stuffed zucchini and vine leaves)." She continued, "This first Sunday of Advent was a good omen, and will remain a memorable day for Shadi and all the family and his friends."
At this time, Shadi's next court appearance is scheduled for Monday, December 12th. We will continue to follow his case as it develops, and we encourage you to continue to advocate for him and the more than 120 other Palestinian children as young as 12 who are currently being held under Administrative Detention. Contact your elected officials (again) using this Action Alert from the Episcopal Public Policy Network and post on social media using the hashtags #StandWithShadi and #FreeShadi.
Shadi's mother writes, "Dear friends, we are thankful and grateful for everything you have done for Shadi; to everyone who stood with us; to each and everyone who worked, followed, wrote, composed, drew, launched campaigns and talked about Shadi."
At General Convention 2024, Mary Segal--a Board member of FOSNA--urged Jonathan Kuttab to give her a project to further Palestinian solidarity for North Americans. Jonathan, Executive Director of FOSNA, had longed to create a way to pair faith communities in North America with Palestinians in Israeli prisons as apersonalized way to increase advocacy for Palestinian human rights. The next day, my new friend Mary, discovered that I had decades of experience in prison ministry as a Prison Chaplain for the Diocese of Rhode Island and volunteer at Sing Sing for the New York Theological Seminary Master's program at Sing Sing. We started working as a team in July 2024 as a pilot project of FOSNA in what would eventually be called "Friends of Palestinian Detainees" and today in September 2025, we have a Coordinating team of four of us--one Palestinian on the ground in Palestine and three of us in the U.S.--clergy and lay. There are now 14 faith groups/churches paired with 14 Palestinian prisoners or released prisoners (Christian and Muslim) and their key family member. Shadi and his mom, Rania Khoury, are paired with Multinomah Friends Meeting in Portland, Oregan. Layan Nasir and her mom, Lulu Nasir, who I was privileged to meet in Birzeit while I was on a Sabeel Solidarity Pilgrimage in November 2024, is paired with Oaklife Church in Oakland, California. Mohammad Ibrahim, an American citizen from Florida, and his father, Zaher Ibrahim were just paired with Trinity UCC in Concord, NC. Our pilot project is all-volunteer run. We currently have about 100 members on both sides of the Atlantic. "Friends of Palestinian Detainees" could not be possible without Sabeel, our Palestinian team member on the ground who has a full-time job elsewhere and also actively volunteers with us, the faith groups across North America, and the Palestinian family members and prisoners/detainees (Christian and Muslim) who bravely agree to be part of this project of solidarity.
We have developed this FOSNA project organically and continue to do so to live out our commitment to free those who are captive--both the thousands of Palestinians--children, women, men--who have been terrorized, usually taken from their homes in the dead of night by Israeli Occupation Forces to interrogation centers where the violation of human rights continue. The Israeli prison system for Palestinians is a key part of the brutal and illegal apartheid system of Israel. It uses special laws only for Palestinians and a military system--not civlian--that is administered completely by Israeli military personnel in "courts", prisons, interrogation centers, torture centers ONLY for Palestinians.All are basically political prisoners. There are currently 11,100 Palestinians held, 3,577 of them are held under "administrative detention" of which 49 are women, 400 are children (under the age of 18). Detainees are Palestinians held by Israel without trial, charge, evidence, family visits, and often without legal access. Since October 7, 2023, any rights that Palestinian detainees or prisoners had gained for themselves through hunger strikes etc. disappeared and replaced by denials of medical access, beatings, sexual abuse, torture, rape, starvation--documented by Israel's own Human Rights NGO--B'tselem and testimonies documented by Addameer, and other human rights groups. In March 2025, a 17-year old Palestinian child died of starvation at an Israeli prison. As of March 2025, since October 2023, 61 Palestinians have died while in prison . In February, an indictment was filed against five Israeli reserve soldiers for brutally torturing a Palestinian detainee at Sde Teiman camp--a prison in the Negev desert linked to systematic abuse of Palestinian prisoners and at which 37 Palestinian prisoners had died.
This is why the stories of young Shadi Khoury (initially detained while a young student at a Quaker school), Mohammad Ibrahim (17 year old
American citizen now held in Ofer prison), college graduate Anglican Layan Nasir, and thousands of others are important to know and share NOW.
"Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison and not minister to your needs?"