State Department in touch with Americans detained by Israel, spokesperson says
The State Department is in touch with three Americans who were detained by Israel last month, spokesman Matthew Miller said yesterday.
Last week, embassy officials met with Samaher Esmail, a U.S. citizen being held in the occupied West Bank, over allegations of “incitement on social media.”
Officials also met today with Borak Alagha, 18, and Hashem Alagha, 20, two brothers born in the Chicago area, who were detained by Israeli forces.
Miller said he couldn’t provide any details about the individual cases. He added that the State Department was only in the early stages of gathering information to determine whether they were wrongfully detained.
“I don’t have any assessment to offer about their case other than that is true for all Americans in Israel or anywhere around the world: Their safety and security is our first priority,” he said.