Katz ends administrative detention for Israeli settlers in West Bank
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The controversial policy, which allows authorities to hold individuals without charge for up to six months with indefinite renewals, is primarily used against Palestinians.
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Israeli settlers fire at Palestinians in the West Bank on October 12, 2022. (AFP)
Israeli occupation Security Minister Israel Katz announced Friday the end of administrative detention orders for West Bank settlers.
This controversial policy, which allows Israeli authorities to hold individuals without charge for up to six months with indefinite renewals, is primarily used against Palestinians but has also been applied to some extremist Israeli settlers.
Under the practice, detainees are often denied access to the evidence against them, which is withheld by military prosecutors.
Katz stated, “In a reality where the Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria is subject to serious Palestinian terror threats and unjustified international sanctions are taken against the settlers, it is not appropriate for the State of Israel to take such a severe measure against the people of the settlements," using the biblical name for the West Bank, which "Israel" has occupied since 1967.
The Israeli Security Minister recently met with Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar to announce his decision, directing him to develop alternative measures, according to a statement from his office.
Katz stated, “If there is suspicion of criminal acts, the perpetrators can be prosecuted, and if not, there are other preventive measures that can be taken other than administrative detention orders.”
The announcement comes as settler violence has surged since October 7, 2023. Israeli authorities have rarely made arrests in such incidents, with rights groups criticizing the low conviction rates and the frequent dismissal of charges.
Just last weekend, masked settlers set fire to several buildings and a car in the West Bank village of Beit Furik, near Nablus. No arrests have been announced.
According to residents, the settlers torched cars, destroyed agricultural structures, and vandalized personal belongings. CCTV footage obtained by Reuters from a local resident revealed masked men setting property ablaze and hurling rocks at a dog.
Palestinian presidential spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh condemned the settlers' attack as an "escalation of colonist terrorism against the Palestinian people," which "requires an international stance to stop the aggression.”
Right-wing leaders applaud the end of administrative detention for settlers
The decision by Katz to end the use of administrative detention against Israeli settlers was hailed by right-wing politicians.
Police Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, himself a settler, hailed the move, declaring, “This is a correction of many years of mistreatment and justice for those who love the land.”
Ben Gvir’s chief aide, Chanamel Dorfman, had previously been subjected to administrative restraining orders as a minor. These orders barred him from entering the West Bank due to his involvement in riots protesting the removal of illegal outposts.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a staunch advocate for settlements, praised Katz's decision, stating it “eliminated long-standing discrimination against settlers in Judea and Samaria.”
He argued that the policy had treated settlers as “second-class citizens” by applying “draconian and undemocratic measures” that infringed on their rights—measures he noted were reserved only for “terrorists and dangerous enemies.
Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party had previously proposed legislation to ban the use of administrative detention or restraining orders against Israeli settlers unless they were affiliated with specific terror organizations.
Likud MK Avichai Boaron, a prominent settler activist, also lauded the decision, describing it as “reflecting a supportive and warm approach toward the settlement movement and the settlers in Judea and Samaria.”
Boaron further remarked that the move signifies a “new attitude” and expressed hope that it would ultimately lead to “full sovereignty" over the West Bank.
Israeli authorities ramp up administrative detention of Palestinians
Israeli authorities have significantly escalated their use of administrative detention against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. This increase in arbitrary detentions, along with extended emergency measures that enable inhumane treatment of Palestinians, has been accompanied by a lack of investigation into incidents of torture and deaths in Israeli detention over the past year.
Released detainees, human rights lawyers, and video evidence have provided accounts of the severe torture and mistreatment prisoners have endured, including violent beatings, sexual abuse, forced humiliation, and cruel treatment such as being forced to kneel during inmate counts or sing Israeli songs.
Administrative detention is one of the key tools through which "Israel" has enforced its system of apartheid against Palestinians. Testimonies and video evidence also point to numerous incidents of torture and other ill-treatment by Israeli forces including severe beatings and deliberate humiliation of Palestinians who are detained in dire conditions.
According to the Palestinian Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs Commission and the Palestinian Prisoners Society, these detentions are part of a larger pattern of escalating aggressions since the onset of "Israel's" ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip, bringing the total number of detentions to over 11,700 Palestinians across the occupied West Bank, including al-Quds.
In addition, Israeli occupation forces continue to detain civilians from Gaza, particularly from the northern regions, where detainees are subjected to enforced disappearance. The authorities have refused to disclose their identities or the locations of their detention.
Human rights organizations report that while the exact number remains untracked, it is believed that thousands of Gaza residents have been detained since the escalation began.
