A Moroccan mother residing in Jerusalem for nearly two decades is living in fear and uncertainty following the arrest of her teenage sons by Israeli forces, with no charges filed after four months. Despite their health issues and her pleas for help, Mennana remains in the dark about their fate, as she continues to advocate for their rights amid escalating regional tensions. DR ‹ › Moroccan citizen Mennana , originally from Marrakech and residing in Jerusalem, Palestine, for nearly twenty years, says she has been living in constant anxiety following the arrest of her two sons, Fadi Ahmed Bahar, 18, and Yassin Ahmed Bahar, 17, by Israeli forces four months ago, under circumstances she says remain unclear to this day. She told Yabiladi that Israeli security forces stormed her home in Jerusalem and asked for the identities of her two sons. «I gave them their Palestinian IDs, which they threw on the ground and said they wanted the Moroccan IDs. I then handed those over», she recalled. She added that she informed the officers that her sons were protected by the Kingdom of Morocco, but they simply told her that she would later understand the reason for their arrest. The mother said that both of her sons suffer from asthma and require regular treatment, yet the Israeli forces did not take this into account and transferred them to Ofer Prison, west of Ramallah in the West Bank. She also told Yabiladi that she received a call yesterday from a young man who had recently been released from Israeli detention and who had been held in the same room as her sons. He informed her that the two brothers had been taken out of the room for two days and that the prison administration had confiscated their medication. «Four months have passed since their arrest without any verdict being issued against them. Their health condition worries me», she said. «During their last court session held last week, I was only allowed to hear their voices without being able to see them. I am prohibited from direct communication with them». Calls for the Moroccan government to Intervene «I do not know what charges are being brought against them or what accusations they will fabricate. They extract confessions by force; torture in the occupation's prisons surpasses what we witnessed in Abu Ghraib», the mother said. She also expressed concern about the current security situation, saying that amid the ongoing war «there is no place to seek refuge for protection. Ofer Prison is an area that could be targeted, and any missile could hit the prison. In the end, the occupation would benefit and claim that Iran killed the Palestinians». The mother said she sought help from the Moroccan Embassy in Palestine, hoping for diplomatic support or a consular visit to check on her sons' situation. However, she says she has received no response so far, despite embassy officials having contacted her shortly after the arrest and expressing sympathy. The Moroccan mother added that she had been unable to visit Morocco for 16 years, as leaving Jerusalem would have meant she would not be allowed to return. At the time, her children did not yet have Palestinian IDs. Four years ago, however, she helped launch a civil initiative called «Reunion is My Right», which contributed to regularizing her children's status and enabling them to obtain Palestinian identification documents. Her sons also benefited from Moroccan nationality law, which allows mothers to pass their nationality to their children. Mennana currently serves as women's affairs officer in the Jerusalem area and chairs the Bab Al-Maghareba for Community Development association. She says she continues to pursue legal and human rights avenues to determine the fate of her sons and ensure their rights. The next court session for the two brothers is expected to take place in May. «I am Moroccan mother who supports both national and Palestinian causes, something the Israeli occupation could not accept», she concluded.
