Israeli forces arrested Palestinian writer and political analyst Mohammad Faris Jaradat on August 20, 2026, after raiding his home in the Al-Hadaf neighborhood, on the outskirts of the Jenin refugee camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Jaradat, 56, writes a weekly column for the website of the Beirut-based “pro-Hezbollah” broadcaster Al-Mayadeen.
At about 11 p.m. on August 20, around 15 Israeli soldiers entered Jaradat’s home and took him into custody, his son-in-law, Malath Yousef Jaradat, told CPJ. The soldiers also confiscated Jaradat’s mobile phone, he said.
Jaradat’s family initially received no information about where he was being held, Malath told CPJ. On August 24, the family learned that Jaradat had been transferred to Salem, near Jenin, where an Israeli military court operates inside a military base, and that he remained in custody there, according to Malath.
Palestinian official news agency WAFA identified him as a former prisoner.
Jaradat’s most recent article for Al-Mayadeen, published on August 19, a day before his arrest, examined divisions within Israel’s Likud party and the political maneuvering of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
As of August 28, CPJ could not determine whether Israeli authorities had formally charged Jaradat, issued a detention order against him, or brought him before a court.
CPJ emailed the Israel Defense Forces’ International Press Desk requesting comment on Jaradat’s arrest and detention but did not receive a response.