Israel transfers 2 East Jerusalem Palestinians to administrative detention
Feb. 24, 2017 10:20 A.M. (Updated: Feb. 27, 2017 7:58 P.M.)
JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli authorities transferred two Palestinians from occupied East Jerusalem to administrative detention -- Israel's widely-condemned policy of internment without charge or trial -- on Thursday.
Head of the Jerusalem Committee for Families of Prisoners Amjad Abu Asab told Ma'an that Israeli authorities transferred Majd Darwish to administrative detention for six months and Muhammad Abd al-Latif for three months.
Abu Asab added that Israeli forces had detained the two "youths" during the past few days.
According to Asab, Darwish is from the occupied East Jerusalem neighborhood of Issawiya, while Abd al-Latif is from Jerusalem's Old City.
While Israeli authorities claim the withholding of evidence during administrative detention, which allows detention for three- to six-month renewable intervals, is essential for state security concerns, rights groups have instead claimed the policy allows Israeli authorities to hold Palestinians for an indefinite period of time without showing any evidence that could justify their detentions.
Rights groups have claimed that Israel's administrative detention policy has been used as an attempt to disrupt Palestinian political and social processes, notably targeting Palestinian politicians, activists, and journalists.
According to Addameer, as of January, 6,500 Palestinians were being held in Israeli prisons, 536 of whom were being held under administrative detention.