Up to 600 Palestinians held by "Israel" without charge

By Al Mayadeen Net
Source: Agencies
3 May 2022 12:17
2 Shares

Administrative detainees are kept for six-month periods that can be renewed based on "undisclosed evidence".

Up to 600 Palestinians held by "Israel" without charge

An Israeli fact-checking organization stated that "Israel" is presently keeping over 600 Palestinian inmates without accusation or trial, the largest number since 2016.

According to HaMoked, an Israeli organization that regularly collects information from prison authorities, there were 604 detainees in administrative custody as of May. Administrative detention is almost always utilized against Palestinians, while it is almost never used against Jews.

Administrative detainees are arrested based on "secret evidence", are uninformed of the charges leveled against them, and are not able to defend themselves in court. They are typically detained for six-month periods that can be extended, often leading to years in arbitrary captivity.

According to HaMoked, 2,441 Palestinians are now serving prison terms after being detained in military courts. A total of 1,478 people are being held for questioning, have been charged, are awaiting trial, or are being tried right now.

Hunger strikes, boycotts of Israeli courts

The last time "Israel" held this many administrative detainees was in October 2016, following a surge in resistance acts by the Palestinians and amid several Israeli illegal settlement construction projects.

According to Jessica Montell, the director of HaMoked, keeping hundreds of individuals without prosecution for months or years is unjustified.

“It’s like an assembly line of administrative detention, far in excess of what can be justified under international law,” she said, noting that international law allows preventive detention under rare circumstances for a limited period of time.

Several Palestinians in administrative detention have gone on prolonged hunger strikes in protest, with many developing lifelong health issues.

Yesterday, the Palestinian Prisoners Club released a statement on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day on Tuesday, regarding Israeli authorities' continued detention of Palestinian prisoners.

The PPC said in a statement that the Israeli occupation forces continue to assault Palestinian journalists through a plethora of systematic abusive policies, most notably through arbitrary detention. Since the beginning of this year, the occupation has continued to arrest journalists and activists and has assaulted many of them, causing injuries, especially amid the escalation that began in April.