Hebron University professor’s abduction by Israeli forces draws protest
by Piyush Mathur
The US-based Palestinian think tank and policy network Al-Shabaka has called for the immediate release of one of its members after he was forcibly taken away by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank.
Dr. Belal Shobaki
In a statement issued on 7 June, Al-Shabaka said that Israeli forces had 'assaulted and arrested' Palestinian academic and policy researcher Dr. Belal Shobaki on the evening of 6 June, 2026.
Al-Shabaka described the incident as an 'arbitrary kidnapping' and said it 'unequivocally' condemned it, calling for Shobaki's 'immediate and unconditional release'.
Shobaki serves as head of the Political Science Department at Hebron University.
Al-Shabaka’s statement claims that he plays 'a central role in Palestinian knowledge production and in fostering political education' among Palestinians fighting for their freedom from Israel.
This is a screenshot of Al-Shabaka's digital statement on Dr. Belal Shobaki’s abduction by Israel on June 6, 2026. (Image credit: Al-Shabaka)
The organisation further alleged that Israel has sought to undermine Palestinian education through 'intimidation, detention, and brute force', describing its action against Shobaki as part of a 'systematic assault' on Palestinian academic life.
Citing Palestinian media, the Iran-funded Press TV had noted in a report previously today that Shobaki was grabbed by Israeli forces in Al-Khalil, south of the occupied West Bank. (Al-Khalil is the Arabic name for Hebron.) The report says that Israeli security personnel raided his home and took him away during an overnight operation, although the reasons for the arrest were not immediately clear.
At the time of publication, no public Israeli statement regarding this incident had been identified by Thoughtfox.
The case has drawn concern among Palestinian academic and policy circles, with supporters calling for further information about Shobaki's whereabouts, legal status and conditions of detention.
This concern is properly appreciated against the backdrop of the fact that there has long existed a legalistic, human-rights based movement against such so-called detentions. Moreover, in March this year a group of Arab and American academics put up a virtual memorial for Palestinian researchers killed by Israeli attacks.
Per Al-Shabaka’s website, it is registered as the ‘Middle East Policy Network’—a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organisation—in the State of California.