Palestinian citizens of Israel face rise in administrative detention orders

Palestinian citizens of Israel are facing a significant increase in the number of administrative detentions orders issued against young men for allegedly “planning or carrying out… acts that harm state security,” Arab48 news site has reported.

The site said that 25 men have been detained under administrative detention orders with neither charge nor trial. Most of the orders are for detention for six months, and are renewable. It pointed out that the notorious orders allow the Israeli authorities to detain persons “indefinitely without a specific charge or indictment”.

Attorney Khaled Mahajna told the news site that the rise in administrative detention orders is a worrying phenomenon. Being held under such orders without indictments means that detainees are held without a clear legal basis.

“The administrative detention order is issued by the minister of defence and then approved by the court,” explained Mahajna. “We have not seen a single case in which the court overturned the minister’s decision. Clearly the policy is aimed at intimidating Arab society, preventing it from expressing its opinions, and creating a state of fear and submission.”

He said that the detention orders are issued based on vague allegations, such as “intent” to carry out an act that harms state security, without providing clear evidence. “From the beginning of the detention, and for a period of up to a month, the detainee is subjected to investigations in intelligence cellars. When nothing is proven against them, they are supposed to be released. However, we are witnessing the extension of detentions and their conversion to administrative detentions, extending to six months.”

Mahajna warned that courts are increasingly influenced by the political climate, where judges uphold administrative detentions without any real objection, or strongly support them.

The mother of administrative detainee Fadi Mahameed, from Umm Al-Fahm, told Arab48 that her son, 21, was arrested on 12 February and after about a month of investigation, no charges were proven against him. He was then placed in administrative detention for six months by order of the defence minister.

“My son was arrested while we were working together. The police raided our workplace and destroyed our vehicle,” she said. “Later, they raided our home and vandalised our belongings, claiming to be searching for illegal materials, but they found nothing.”

Mahameed’s mother noted that the family has not heard anything about him since his arrest, as visits are prohibited. “We know nothing about his health, although he had undergone surgery before his arrest and needs medical care. From the moment of his arrest, we have been in shock, especially since we have never experienced such a harsh experience in our lives.”

As his lawyer prepares to appeal against Mahameed’s detention, his mother’s hope is that it will be successful.

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