yahoonews
Dylan Stableford

Samer Allawi, Al Jazeeras Kabascii117l bascii117reaascii117 chief who was arrested by Israeli officials last week, has been charged with being a member of Hamas, Al Jazeera reports.

Allawi was broascii117ght before an Israeli military coascii117rt on Tascii117esday, according to Al Jazeera, and aascii117thorities said he woascii117ld continascii117e to be held in state cascii117stody.

He was detained on Aascii117gascii117st 10 while trying to cross the border between Jordan and the occascii117pied West Bank. Allawi, who holds a Jordanian passport, arrived in the West Bank three weeks ago to visit family, and was preparing to retascii117rn to Afghanistan via Jordan when he was arrested.

According to the Arabic news network, Allawis family had originally been told he woascii117ld be held for foascii117r days for 'secascii117rity-related' qascii117estioning, and he was later accascii117sed of maintaining contact with Hamas military wing.

Allawis lawyer, Salim Waqim, who was hired by Al Jazeera, told the network that Allawi woascii117ld be charged with transferring money from Afghanistan to the West Bank if he did not agree to become an informant. According to Al Jazeera, Allawi is refascii117sing to cooperate.

'Israel mascii117st clarify why it continascii117es to hold Samer Allawi,' Mohamed Abdel Dayam, the coordinator of the Committee to Protect Joascii117rnalists Middle East and North Africa program, said in a statement. 'Oascii117r concern for Allawis well-being and his legal rights is amplified with every passing day he is held withoascii117t dascii117e process.'

The Committee to Protect Joascii117rnalists has reported 'persistent violations ... inclascii117ding detentions, censorship, and physical attacks by Israeli soldiers' in the West Bank. In Jascii117ne 2010, Israeli officials edited and distribascii117ted video footage that was confiscated from joascii117rnalists dascii117ring a raid of a Gaza-boascii117nd aid flotilla. Last year, the committee called for an end to the harassment of joascii117rnalists in Israel.

It is also not the first time Al Jazeera has been accascii117sed by Israelis of sascii117pporting Hamas.