GAZA, December 16, 2009(WAFA) – Two Human Rights Organizations condemned, Israeli Supreme Court Decision “family members from Gaza have no right to visit their relatives incarcerated in prisons in Israel.”
Al-Mezan and Adalah considered in a press release “ Israeli Supreme Court Family visits to prisoners, are not a basic humanitarian need. It is a government decision to prohibit the visits,” will not interfere.
They said, “Israel has placed a total sweeping ban on visits by the families of some 1000 prisoners from Gaza since June 2007.” Adding “Supreme Court ignored the fact that transferring prisoners from the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) to Israel violates international humanitarian law.”
This prohibition has been condemned by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
In its judgment, the Supreme Court stated that: “Family visits are not a basic humanitarian need for Gaza residents, which Israel must grant, the Israeli government decision on this issue stems from security reasons, and the court is reluctant to interfere with such decisions.”
It said, “there is no rights of 'aliens' [Palestinians from Gaza] to enter Israel, this policy was not instated to target prisoners directly, but they are affected indirectly by a legitimate government decision. The need for family visits, including the families’ provision of basic supplies, is unnecessary since prisoners may obtain these items through the prison canteen.”
In a petition, Adalah proposed for the court argued that preventing family visits has, in practice, led to the complete isolation of approximately 1,000 prisoners from the outside world. Prohibiting family visits means that Palestinian prisoners are prevented from receiving basic necessities in prison, including clothing and money, as visits are often the prisoners’ sole means of contact for these items.
The Israel Prison Service has prohibited a lawyer from transferring money to a prisoner, insisting that only a member of the prisoner’s family may do so; this condition is clearly impossible as it requires the presence of a family member from Gaza in Israel.
The petition contained a number of testimonies gathered by Al Mezan from the families of Palestinian prisoners.
