Al Mezan expresses alarm over latest arbitrary measures imposed by new Israeli government against Palestinian detainees

Al Mezan Center for Human Rights notes with deep concern the new arbitrary measures implemented by the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) against Palestinian detainees in Israeli custody. As part of these measures, around 70 Palestinian detainees were transferred from their solitary confinement cell in Hadarim prison to another solitary cell in the notorious Nafha prison, which is considered one of the harshest and most severe of the occupation prisons. This move came after the newly appointed Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, visited Nafha on Thursday, 5 January 2023.

On Friday, 6 January 2023, Ben-Gvir then tweeted that he is moving forward with a plan to adopt a law to impose the death penalty on Palestinian prisoners found guilty of killing or attempting to kill Israelis and that he will ensure that those who have killed Jews will receive no better prison conditions than those that exist.  

According to Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, at the end of 2022, there were 4,700 Palestinians under Israeli custody, including 34 women, and 150 children. Among the total number of detainees, 835 are administrative detainees (including seven minors and two women), 15 journalists, and five deputies in the Palestinian Legislative Council (Marwan Al-Barghouti, Ahmad Sa'adat, Hassan Yousef, Mohammed Abu Tair and Nasser Abdel-Jawad—the last two under administrative detention).

For years, the IPS has subjected Palestinian detainees to various forms of mistreatment, including medical neglect, torture, bans on lawyers’ and family members’ visits, solitary confinement, sudden raids, strip searches, and telephone bans. As the new Israeli government takes office, Palestinian detainees will face increased suffering and deprivation of basic rights.

Al Mezan warns against Ben-Gvir's inciting rhetoric, worryingly being translated into concrete actions. The recent developments on the ground following the formation of Benjamin Netanyahu's new fascist, far-right coalition suggest that Israeli authorities are set to escalate their violence in the Palestinian territory and against the Palestinian people, including Palestinian detainees, which would further ignite tensions throughout the region.

Al Mezan emphasizes that Israel, as the occupying power, bears legal responsibility for the violations committed against Palestinian detainees under the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention, as well as under the UN Standards Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners. Yet, Israel’s systematic use of administrative detention violates basic guarantees enshrined under international human rights law, including in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, under which the accused person is entitled to be informed of any charges against him.

Al Mezan calls on the international community to uphold its moral and legal obligations vis-à-vis the Palestinian people, including detainees inside Israeli prisons, and compel Israel to respect international law, end the policy of administrative detention, and ensure Palestinian detainees’ enjoyment of their rights enshrined in international law.