Ending the Exile of Suleiman Al-Ata'iqah, His Son, and Nephew, and Their Return to Rahat After Arrest Due to Insufficient Evidence

SadaNews - An Israeli settlement court in Beersheba decided yesterday, Sunday, to end the exile imposed on Rahat city council member Suleiman Al-Ata'iqah, his son Muhammad, and his nephew Amer Ibrahim Al-Ata'iqah, after 10 days of being exiled in Shuqba al-Salam, and allowed them to return to their homes in the city of Rahat.

The decision to exile came after the Ata'iqah, his son, and nephew spent 11 days in detention, before being subjected to exile and house arrest in Shuqba al-Salam, after the police failed to convince the court of sufficient evidence against them.

This comes against the backdrop of a dispute over a piece of land owned by the Al-Ata'iqah family since 1951, which the authorities had marketed as a construction plot for citizens.

Suleiman Al-Ata'iqah said to "Arab 48" that what happened are "false allegations, and claims about threatening residents are completely untrue, and nothing of the sort occurred, amid the sedition that Israeli authorities are trying to sow among the people of the Negev."

He added that "the police claimed that I made threats, and my response was to call for those who allegedly faced threats to testify in court, but they were unable to do so."

Speaking about the moment of arrest and the conditions of detention, Al-Ata'iqah said that "the police stormed my house in the early morning hours, and arrested 10 members of my family, including my children, wife, and relatives. The court released 7 of the detainees and extended my detention, my son, and my nephew."

He clarified that "we spent 11 days in detention under harsh, provocative, and unreasonable conditions until the court's decision for release came with restrictive conditions, including being exiled from the area of the disputed piece of land."

Al-Ata'iqah concluded by saying that "what is happening is one of the most dangerous manifestations of sedition in the Negev, and we seek to resolve the issue in a way that satisfies all parties and maintains good neighborly relations."

Source: Arab 48