Bassel al-Araj

Bassel al-Araj (Arabic: باسل الأعرج, 1984 — March 5, 2017), known as al-muthaqqaf al-mushtabik (المُثَقَّف المُشْتَبِك 'the engaged intellectual') was a Palestinian activist and writer. Known for his writings about revolution and Arab nationalism, Al-Araj was shot and killed on 6 March 2017 by a unit belonging to Israel’s Yamam police force, after a gunfight lasting nearly two hours broke out as they raided his home in an attempted arrest. He is known as "the educated martyr" among some Palestinian activists. The charges that led to his arrest were unlicensed weapons and planning militant attacks against Israel, charges on which the Palestinian Authority previously arrested him. However, the Palestinian Authority released him from prison following mass protests against his detainment, leading to the Israeli arrest.