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JERUSALEM — Amnesty International called on Israeli authorities on
Wednesday to end what it called "harassment" of an Arab human rights
activist held on suspicion of spying for the Lebanese Hezbollah militia.

Amnesty
said Ameer Makhoul, an Arab citizen of Israel, has been denied legal
advice while in custody.

The Israeli Prisons Authority referred an
AFP query on his situation to the Shin Bet security service, who could
not immediately be reached for comment.

"His arrest and continued
detention smacks of pure harassment, designed to hinder his human rights
work," an Amnesty statement said. "If this is the case, we would regard
him as a prisoner of conscience (and) call for his immediate and
unconditional release."

Makhoul was arrested last week by police
and Shin Bet agents in a raid on his home in the northern port city of
Haifa.

Another Israeli Arab man, Omar Sayeed, also accused of
spying for Hezbollah, was arrested on April 24 but news of the two cases
was blacked out by a court order that was lifted only on Monday.

Makhoul,
whose brother Issa is a former Israeli Arab lawmaker, heads Ittijah
(the Union of Arab Community-Based Associations), a group that fights
discrimination against Israeli Arabs.

"Ameer Makhoul is a key
human rights defender, well-known for his ... >>>