TEL AVIV, November 22, 2024 (WAFA) – Hardline Israeli Defense Minister, Yisrael Katz, announced an end to administrative detention orders issued against Israeli colonists involved in violent attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. Instead, Katz instructed the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security agency, to pursue alternative measures for addressing these cases.

Israeli media reported that judicial officials criticized Katz's decision to stop administrative detention orders against colonists, labeling it as effectively providing colonists with a "license to kill." They cautioned that the policy could embolden secretive groups to commit violence against Arabs, risking further escalation of tensions in the region.

In July, the Israeli Ministerial Committee for Legislation approved a bill proposed by Simcha Rothman, chair of the Knesset's Constitution, Law and Justice Committee. The bill seeks to limit administrative detention to Palestinians exclusively, prohibiting its application to Israeli colonists suspected of committing terrorist acts against Palestinians. This comes despite the fact that Israel rarely prosecutes colonists involved in such violence.

As reported by the Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, as of the start of this month, only eight Israeli colonists were subjected to administrative detention, in stark contrast to the 3,443 Palestinian detainees held under the same measure in Israeli prisons.

T.R.