On November 27, Thanksgiving Day, Mohammed Zaher Ibrahim, a 16-year-old Palestinian American kid from Florida, walked out of Israeli military detention after 9.5 agonizing months. Yesterday, I spoke with his uncle, Zeyad Kadur, who quarterbacked the sprawling grassroots effort to free Mohammed, to get the definitive account of how it actually happened.
The interview is a long one (...again), but for good reason: we walked step-by-step through every phase of the fight, from the hours after Mohammed’s abduction to the moment he was freed. We talked through the legal maneuvering in Israel, the political pressure (and public shaming) in Washington, the relentless phonebanking campaign, the increased urgency after Mohammed’s cellmate—and then cousin—were killed, the strategic use of public statements from Israeli authorities against them, and the backchannel diplomacy. We also discussed the role that various US lawmakers played in the effort—including one AIPAC Democrat whose role has not been discussed until now—and named and shamed those who did nothing. Zeyad also explained the personal reasons he took on this fight, and the interview includes a cameo from his infant son, Sayfollah—named for his nephew who was beaten to death in July.
What emerges is not a single winning tactic or turning point, but a sequence of overlapping pressures and contingencies that finally forced Israel to let him go. At a time when so many people feel helpless in the face of compounding Israeli injustices and U.S. complicity, I’d like to think this offers a playbook for how to organize on the ground to secure material wins in cases like this.
If you’re looking for a meaningful holiday gift, might I suggest putting it toward independent journalism?
November offered a reminder of what this work can actually do—especially with a mainstream media that refuses to hold power to account. The settler I documented clubbing a grandmother in a video that drew international outrage was indicted on terrorism charges. A few hours later, 16-year-old Mohammed Ibrahim—whose case I’ve covered almost daily since July while most outlets ignored it—was freed from Israeli military detention.
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