The head of the Turkish Relief Foundation (IHH) has called on the Israeli authorities to release his organisation's representative being held in Israel after his arrest in the West Bank last week. Mr. Bülent Yildirim made his demand for the release of Izzat Shahin at a press conference at the IHH headquarters in Istanbul attended by representatives of Turkish civil society organizations as well as Mr. Shahin's wife.

Israeli intelligence arrested Izzat Shahin at the Bethlehem checkpoint on 28th April. He was a recent arrival in the West Bank where he opened an office of the IHH and enrolled at the Hebrew University. Following his arrest, he was taken to the Petach Tikva detention centre, while Israeli officers broke into his home and confiscated his personal laptop and several files pertaining to the IHH. Mrs. Shahin said that she is concerned for the safety of her husband who has been under interrogation for a week and demanded that the Israeli authorities release him.

It is Bülent Yildirim's belief that Mr. Shahin was arrested because of the Foundation's leading role in the popular campaign to break the siege on Gaza. Such arrests, he said, will not deter the Foundation's ships from heading to the Gaza Strip filled with humanitarian aid for the besieged Palestinians later this month. In his speech Mr. Yildirim warned Israel that if Mr. Shahin is kept behind bars, his organisation will expose to the people of Turkey all of Israel's illegal activities.

Three lawyers sent by the IHH to represent Izzat Shahin have not yet been granted visas by the Israeli embassy.