American Arab Anti Discrimination Committee

ADC calls upon the United States Department of State to take the necessary steps in protecting the legally guaranteed rights of Adnan Ali, an American citizen reported missing.

Adnan Ali, a 29-year-old American citizen of Palestinian descent, is a resident of Belle Glade, Florida where he owns and operates a convenience store. He and his siblings came to the United States at a very young age and became American citizens in the mid 1980's.

Three weeks ago, Adnan and his wife went to Deir Dibwan (near Ramallah) to attend a family wedding. On August 1, his family reported him missing when he failed to arrive at the home of an American friend whom he was going to visit. His family found his car abandoned on a road near the Israeli settlement of Ofrah. Reports confirm there was no sign of struggle, but there was evidence that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) had examined the car because they left the blue tape used to indicate that the car had been searched for explosives. Furthermore, an eye-witness from a neighboring village came forward to tell the family that he was behind Adnan in traffic when two IDF jeeps pulled Adnan over, examined the car, and threw him in the jeep.

When Adan’s brother, Akif, contacted the American Consulate General, he was told that there was nothing they could do but wait. According to Akif, on Friday, August 3, he called the American Consulate again and learned from the duty officer, Elizabeth Sally, that they had a report that the IDF had detained Adnan. However, three days later, the Consulate denied this report claiming that it was a rumor.

ADC has contacted the Department of State regarding Adnan and is also working closely with Partners for Peace, an organization that has worked extensively on cases of human rights abuses by Israel against American citizens of Arab origin. Both ADC and Partners for Peace have contacted Kim Richer, the Overseas American Citizens Services Officer for Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, who has stated that the State Department in conjunction with the American Embassy in Tel Aviv and the American Consulate in Jerusalem have been doing everything they can to locate Adnan. However, the Department of State is unwilling to issue an official letter of protest to the Israeli government, a common practice in a situation such as this one.

The Department of State has an obligation to take the necessary steps to protect the rights of American citizens wherever they may be. ADC urges attorneys, law students, and all those who advocate justice to contact the State Department and demand that the State Department file an official protest and investigate further.

Kim Richer,
Department of State
Office of Overseas Citizens Services
Phone: 202-736-4995

Secretary of State Colin Powell
Department of State
Phone: 202-647-5291
secretary@state.gov

	9 August 2001
	United States Citizen Reported Missing in the West Bank

	ADC calls upon the United States Department of State to take the necessary steps in protecting the legally guaranteed rights of Adnan Ali, an American citizen reported missing. Adnan Ali, a 29-year-old American citizen of Palestinian descent, is a resident of Belle Glade, Florida where he owns and operates a convenience store. He and his siblings came to the United States at a very young age and became American citizens in the mid 1980's. Three weeks ago, Adnan and his wife went to Deir Dibwan (near Ramallah) to attend a family wedding. On August 1, his family reported him missing when he failed to arrive at the home of an American friend whom he was going to visit. His family found his car abandoned on a road near the Israeli settlement of Ofrah. Reports confirm there was no sign of struggle, but there was evidence that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) had examined the car because they left the blue tape used to indicate that the car had been searched for explosives. Furthermore, an eye-witness from a neighboring village came forward to tell the family that he was behind Adnan in traffic when two IDF jeeps pulled Adnan over, examined the car, and threw him in the jeep. When Adan’s brother, Akif, contacted the American Consulate General, he was told that there was nothing they could do but wait. According to Akif, on Friday, August 3, he called the American Consulate again and learned from the duty officer, Elizabeth Sally, that they had a report that the IDF had detained Adnan. However, three days later, the Consulate denied this report claiming that it was a rumor. ADC has contacted the Department of State regarding Adnan and is also working closely with Partners for Peace, an organization that has worked extensively on cases of human rights abuses by Israel against American citizens of Arab origin. Both ADC and Partners for Peace have contacted Kim Richer, the Overseas American Citizens Services Officer for Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, who has stated that the State Department in conjunction with the American Embassy in Tel Aviv and the American Consulate in Jerusalem have been doing everything they can to locate Adnan. However, the Department of State is unwilling to issue an official letter of protest to the Israeli government, a common practice in a situation such as this one. The Department of State has an obligation to take the necessary steps to protect the rights of American citizens wherever they may be. ADC urges attorneys, law students, and all those who advocate justice to contact the State Department and demand that the State Department file an official protest and investigate further. Kim Richer, Department of State Office of Overseas Citizens Services Phone: 202-736-4995 Secretary of State Colin Powell Department of State Phone: 202-647-5291 secretary@state.gov