(MENAFN- The Peninsula) A Palestinian prisoner's hunger strike has sparked new calls for Israel to curb its use of a form of detention without trial, with activists charging routine abuse of a measure aimed at preventing attacks.
Mohammed Allan, 31, ended his hunger strike on Thursday after Israel's top court suspended his administrative detention. He had twice been in a coma. The lawyer said to be a member of the militant group Islamic Jihad had been held since November and has reportedly vowed to resume fasting if the courts reinstate administrative detention against him.
The measure allows internment without trial for six-month intervals that can be renewed indefinitely, with Israeli officials saying it is an essential tool in preventing attacks and protecting sensitive intelligence because it allows authorities to keep evidence secret.
It has been strongly criticised by rights activists, who have called on Israeli authorities to prosecute or release such detainees. Rights groups say international law allows for such detention under extreme circumstances, but that Israel uses it as a punitive measure that circumvents the justice system or as a crutch to avoid trial.
Activists have called on Israeli authorities to charge or release those held under administrative detention. "Our research into the way Israel uses administrative detention vis-a-vis Palestinians concludes that Israel violates this very narrow allowance and uses it in a very wide, extensive way," said Sarit Michaeli, spokeswoman for Israeli rights group B'Tselem. This is "unacceptable legally and morally", she said.
According to B'Tselem, some 370 Palestinians are currently held in administrative detention compared to three alleged Jewish extremists. The Jewish suspects were held amid an outcry following the July 31 firebombing of a Palestinian home that killed an 18-month-old child and his father. Rights groups have also criticised those moves, pressing authorities to follow due process. Israeli officials did not respond to request for comment on Sunday, but Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon last week defended the practice.
"Administrative detention of an Arab or a Jew is a Draconian step, but when there is no choice, you need to protect yourself," he said. "One needs to be very, very careful, but I have no doubt that we have put the right people into administrative detention."
Administrative detention dates back to British-mandated Palestine, though Israeli military law is used for cases involving Palestinians in the West Bank. The degree of its use has varied, with the number of detainees skyrocketing during the first and second Palestinian intifadas, or uprising.
Detainees have been held for between six months and several years. Many Palestinians have gone on hunger strike in protest, though few have continued as long as Allan's. Detainees are allowed to appeal to the courts, but activists say the chances of having their detainment overturned are extremely slim.
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