Just a few months ago Israeli secret services used stolen British passports to carry out an assassination in the sovereign country of the UAE. At the time, William Hague announced in parliament that he would never allow such a thing to happen if he was foreign secretary. Today, he holds that very position, yet has refused to publicly demand for the return of Jamal Elshayyal’s passports.

It is up to you to hold our Foreign Secretary to account. Email, call and write to him today, and ensure that he publicly pressures Israel for the return of the passport. 

Contact
1. Rt. Hon. William Hague MP
Foreign Secretary
King Charles Street
London
SW1A 2AH
Telephone 020 7008 1500, Option 2 and then ask for William Hague's Office
Email the following addresses individually : private.office@fco.gsi.gov.uk , MSU.PublicIn@fco.gov.uk , msu.correspondence@fco.gov.uk

2. Click here to contact your local MP to raise the issue in Parliament

Background

Jamal is a British national who has a long history of working on community projects, inter-faith relations, and social cohesion initiatives.

Jamal’s report from the top deck of the Mavi Marmara was the last the world saw before communications were cut off.

When the Israeli commandos arrested Jamal, they tied his hands behind his back, threw him to the ground and repeatedly kicked him. His hands remained tied for over 24 hours, during which he was refused permission to go to the toilet for several hours.

Jamal was forcibly taken to an Israeli prison and spent a further 30 hours in Israeli custody. During this time he was not allowed to make a phone call, nor was he allowed to see a lawyer. To make things worse, the British consulate did not come and see Jamal at any point during his ordeal.

When Jamal was finally released together with the other passengers (due to pressure from the Turkish government) his passports were not returned to him.

The Israeli authorities stole two of his British passports, as well as all of his possessions valued at over four thousand pounds.

The British government must investigate why it was acceptable for a British national to remain in custody in Israel without receiving any consular assistance. The FCO has said that the Israelis did not allow the consulate to see Jamal or several other British nationals and it is important to know why they accepted this position.

NB: Jamal Elshayyal has served on the executive of the National Union of Students, he was a candidate during the 2006 local elections for Uxbridge South, has advised the Metropolitan Police, Mayor For London, FCO and DFES on matters related to Terrorism, Community relations and racism.

Click here to read his account of what happened on Al Jazeera Blogs