Israelis Double Detention Period for Palestinians

The army today doubled to one year the period for which Palestinians can be held without trial or indictment, marking a renewed effort to quell the 20-month Palestinian uprising.

The army said the order, issued by Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin and approved by Justice Minister Dan Meridor, was made “for security reasons and in accordance with the situation existing these days in the (occupied) territories.”

“We are in a war, and sometimes residents’ or citizens’ rights are harmed in the course of a war. We have to find the right balance so that the damage would not be too serious, but on the other hand we have to allow the army to fight and win that war,” Meridor said on Israel radio.

Emergency Regulations

Israel adopted the administrative detention procedure from 1945 emergency regulations used by the British during their rule of Palestine, often against Jews fighting for the creation of a Jewish state.

The United States and human rights organizations have condemned the procedure as a violation of due process.

In numerous cases, detention has been extended to more than one six-month term. But army officials have demanded a freer hand, complaining that judicial procedures complicate their fight against the uprising in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.

At least 534 Palestinians have been killed by soldiers and settlers during the uprising. Thirty-eight Israelis have also died.

According to army figures released today, 9,136 Palestinians are jailed for uprising-related offenses; 2,111 of them are in administrative detention.

The army command said a person detained without trial for more than six months “will be entitled to bring his case to a judge who deals with both military and civilian matters at least once in six months.”

Israel defends detention without trial as an effective means of arresting violent ringleaders without having to reveal sources of information. But attorneys complain that they cannot respond to unspecified, secret charges against Palestinian suspects.

A U.S. State Department report on human rights released in February criticized the procedure. It also disputed Israeli claims, saying that in many cases Palestinians were detained for political reasons or nonviolent activities.

The report also said that about 20% of detention orders have been renewed after the initial six months.