Maarouf: The EU must not take part in the criminal arrest policy carried out by Israel

The case of Palestinian Naif Hassan Omar Zayed has sparked a wave of discontent among the Arab community both in Bulgaria and across Europe, reports the Patria news agency.

Naif Hassan Omar Zayed has been living in Bulgaria for 22 years, is married and has three children. Israeli authorities arrested Naif and his brother Hamza in 1986 because they were members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, sentencing them to life imprisonment.

Naif managed to escape first to Syria, and then to Bulgaria in 1994. In Bulgaria, he got married and had three children, who are Bulgarian citizens. In Sofia, where he is permanently residing, he owns a shop, is a well-known figure in the Palestinian community, and his friends say he never hid behind false identities.

Two days ago, the Israeli Embassy in Bulgaria, in a note sent to the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, requested his extradition, labeling him a "fugitive from justice."

Based on this request, the Bulgarian authorities gave Naif 72 hours to surrender, and the police, who raided his home, conducted a search and arrested his eldest son.

The Palestinian community in Bosnia and Herzegovina also reacted by sending a protest note to the Bulgarian Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

-European states must not take part in the criminal arrest policy carried out by Israel. Israel, which carries out state terrorism against the Palestinian people in plain sight of the entire world, which sees everything through TV screens. We all know that Israel does not respect international conventions and human rights, daily arresting Palestinians in rigged court proceedings, but it has no right to demand that other countries do the same. Every country guarantees the right to freedom for its citizens; how can it be allowed that Israel does not respect this?

The European Union and the free world, including the friendly Republic of Bulgaria, must not allow themselves to be an Israeli instrument for arresting Palestinians who defended themselves against the Israeli occupier. Furthermore, we must not give extremist groups in the Middle East and around the world cover for their terrorism and crimes, which they allegedly commit because of Palestine and the passive world policy regarding the Palestinian issue, stated the president of PLZBIH, Dr. Majed Maarouf.

Message from Naif's wife

Ever since Palestine became a member of the International Court of Justice, Israel has started pulling known and unknown cases from the archives to divert attention from the crimes committed against Palestinians.

-The state must help us; the children and I are Bulgarian citizens. For more than 22 years, we have lived with Naif peacefully and normally, without any violations, no problems, we pay taxes, help the poor and the elderly... The president must intervene, said Naif's wife, Rania Zayed.