FRIENDS OF PALESTINIAN DETAINEES PROJECT

Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA) launched a pilot initiative called “Friends of Palestinian Detainees,” through which they paired 12 congregations with 12 detainees. The invitation is to have human contact at an international level, new relationships with the outside world, emotional and spiritual support from international people of faith and congregations, and an opportunity to have detainees’ stories and struggles heard and treated with dignity through interpersonal care and support.

FOSNA promotes the vision of Sabeel Jerusalem, an ecumenical liberation theology movement founded by Palestinian Christians in the Holy Land, joining Friends of Sabeel chapters around the world. FOSNA amplifies the voice of Palestinians by advocating in churches, communities, and governments for justice, peace, and liberation in Palestine.

Friends of Palestinian Detainees is partially inspired by Matthew 25:35-40. 

35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

In this context, a detainee is someone who is held in administrative detention. Administrative detention is a procedure that allows Israeli soldiers to hold prisoners indefinitely on secret information without charging them or allowing them to stand trial. The secret information or evidence cannot be accessed by the detainee nor their lawyer. The court issues an administrative detention order for a maximum period of six months but can be renewed for an unlimited time. 

Oak Life Church is a friend of Layan

Oak Life Church has been paired up with Layan. You can watch her tell her story.

Layan Nasir is a Palestinian Christian from the West Bank. She was first arrested and held in administrative detention in 2021 for handing out sandwiches to students participating in a student action on campus. She was released in December 2023 but continues to have a charge pending in the courts for the first “offense.”

Layan was violently arrested from her home by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) with guns pointed at her parents’ heads a second time in April 2024. She was held at Damon Women’s Prison in which she and other prisoners including children, were beaten, and subjected to inhumane conditions—food, hygiene, fresh air, showers, and bedding withheld. 

Because of international intervention of several dignitaries and organizations, Layan was released from administrative detention in December 2024. 

Layan is a recent graduate of Birzeit University with a Bachelor’s in Nutrition and Business Administration. Her family are founding members of Birzeit University. 

Layan’s desire for this project is to shed light on the severe apartheid system that exists for Palestinians and the dire conditions of the internationally illegal use of the Israeli prison system. She does not want the focus to be on her but for the collective of her fellow Palestinians.

UPDATES

October 2025

On October 5, 2025, Layan was sentenced to 9 months, for an additional 8 months in prison, with charges still unspecified.

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September 2025
Message from Lulu, Layan’s mother received Sunday September 7th, regarding Layan’s conviction.

"Hi everyone thank you for your prayers this is the update on her case The actual imprisonment sentence was finalized in court today, and the Israeli military prosecution rejected any other alternatives. Now we just have to wait for the date of executing the sentence.”

Unfortunately, this is not unexpected given the conviction rate in the Israeli military court is 99.74%.  

Another one of our partner churches in the Friends of Detainee project, Trinity UCC in Concord North Carolina is paired with 16 year old Mohamed Ibrahim, and US citizen from Palm Bay Florida. You can read his story here. 

ACTION ITEMS: 

  1. Pray for justice for Layan and protection for her and her family. Pray for mercy from the Israeli Military Court system.

  2. Pray to our just and merciful God to open the eyes of the world, particularly those of our leaders in the United States, bringing a change of heart. Pray that we would find a way to end the genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza and the apartheid regime in Israel and the occupied lands.

  3. Email key US and Israel government officials to call for the release of the roughly 50 women known to be imprisoned in the Israeli “Damon Prison” and to draw attention to the horrific conditions under which they are surviving.

The following is a suggested email template you can copy, paste, and send to these officials:

  • JerusalemACS@state.gov and TelavivACS@state.gov — Mike Huckabee, U.S. Ambassador to Israel

  • ips@mail.gov.il — Mr. Kobi Yaakobi, Head of the Israeli Prison Service

  • pniot.tzibur.il@gmail.com — Mr. Avi Bluth, Head of the Israeli Military Central Command

  • yoayosh@idf.il — This address is listed repeatedly in official correspondence as the contact email for the Department of the Legal Advisor to the Region of Judea and Samaria (often abbreviated “Legal Advisor’s Office — Judea & Samaria” / “LAJS”)

  • consular@washington.mfa.gov.il — Israeli Embassy in US

Email template

Subject line: Please Release All Palestinian Women Prisoners Held In Israeli Prisons

Dear [Name of official],

I am writing as a deeply concerned citizen of the United States regarding the treatment of Palestinian women in Israeli detention.

There is and has been an ongoing pattern of systemic and criminal abuse against Palestinian detainees — especially women. Media reports, including B’Tselem, have documented horrific incidents in Damon Prison, where women have been:

  • attacked with police dogs,

  • sexually assaulted,

  • exposed to tear gas,

  • psychologically tortured,

  • shackled,

  • humiliated,

  • stripped of their religious garments,

  • denied sanitary products, and

  • adequate food and medical care.

Among the roughly 50 women currently imprisoned, there are teenagers, as well as a woman who recently gave birth to her child in the prison. Even more concerning is that an unknown number of Gaza residents are being held in clandestine military prisons with no access to legal counsel or contact with families.

The acts noted above are a violation of international law, including the Geneva Convention and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. These crimes against humanity, include: arbitrary detention, torture, denial of fair trial, and physical and psychological abuse.

We therefore humbly ask for the following:

  1. Full access for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and independent monitors to all detention sites, including secret military facilities.

  2. An end to torture, sexual abuse, humiliation, medical neglect, and religious violations inside Israeli prisons.

  3. Accountability for military and prison officials responsible for these crimes, in accordance with international legal standards. Israel’s own human rights organization, B’Tselem, documented these violations of international law in their report, “Welcome to Hell.”

These violations must end. These women must be released. The world is watching. We want to see you do the right thing.

Sincerely,

[Your name]

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

  • Watch an update on the political prisoners

  • See more reporting on Palestinian prisoners

  • Browse the Resource Bank to educate yourself and others regarding the history of Colonialism, the Zionist Movement, and oppressive systems that exist for Palestinians living in Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem