Father sees teenage son jailed in Israel for first time since 2013

AMMAN — Mahdi Suleiman on Wednesday “finally” managed to see his son Mohammad who has been imprisoned in Israel since March 2013.

“I visited Mohammad in Megiddo Prison in Haifa where I spent around 45 minutes with him, although I was expecting a two-hour visit,” Mahdi told The Jordan Times over the phone, noting that he crossed into the West Bank at around 8am on Wednesday.

Mohammad faces 27 charges in Israel, two of which are attempted murder and injuring 18 Israeli occupation soldiers.

The teenager, who was 16 years old when he was arrested, was in the West Bank visiting his relatives at the time of his detention.

The father said he was surprised when he arrived at the prison and could not see his son face-to-face; instead, their first meeting in more than two years was through a glass barrier.

“I contacted the Foreign Ministry to arrange another visit to Mohammad where I can see him face-to-face as agreed between us,” the 58-year-old said, noting that there is enough time for the ministry to arrange another visit since his visa is valid for two weeks.

On June 14, Mahdi started a hunger strike near the Foreign Ministry, calling for arranging a visit to his son. 

The ministry succeeded in having a visa issued for him last Thursday.

Mohammad’s shape has completely changed since he was 16, Mahdi said, adding that his son’s psychological status is not that good due to his detention conditions.

Mohammad is expected to have a court hearing on July 27, with the total number of hearings since his detention exceeding 60, the father noted.

Mahdi also criticised the staff of the Jordanian embassy in Tel Aviv for reportedly not attending Mohammad’s hearing sessions or visiting him.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Sabah Al Rafie reiterated that the ministry is highly concerned with following up on the cases of Jordanians detained abroad, and protecting them, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.