Katz announces end to administrative arrest of Israeli citizens

(JNS) — Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that he had decided to end the use of administrative detention orders against Israeli citizens, in a move that bears significant change for law enforcement in Judea and Samaria.

“Given that the Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria are subject to Palestinian terror threats and unjust international sanctions are slapped against the settlers, it is improper that the State of Israel would apply such a severe measure against the people of the settlements,” Katz said in a statement.

Katz informed Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) head Ronen Bar of the decision in an in-person meeting held last week. He asked Bar to use “alternative means” instead.

Israel uses administrative detention as a means to incarcerate suspected terrorists without charges because they pose an imminent security risk. The Emergency Powers (Detention) Law, 5739-1979, authorizes the defense minister to detain suspects with administrative orders for up to six months.

In Judea and Samaria, Israeli law authorizes commanders of the Israel Defense Forces to issue administrative detention orders for persons suspected of terrorism.

In either case, the detainee must be brought in front of a judge within 48 hours of arrest, to determine whether the arrest is justified for national security reasons.

This measure is mostly used against Palestinians, but it has been used with more regularity in recent years against Jews living in Judea and Samaria, suspected of committing acts of terrorism against Palestinians.

According to Israel Hayom, Katz has no intention of extending the arrest of eight Jewish detainees, currently held without charges, who could be released in a few weeks, when their detention orders expire.

Incident in Hebron

Since the start of the year, 16 administrative orders have been issued against Israelis. Thirty-one were issued during the August 2021-July 2024 tenure of Maj. Gen. Yehuda Fox as head of the IDF Central Command, which has responsibility for Judea and Samaria.

On Friday night, dozens of Jewish residents reportedly attacked Fox’s successor, Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, in Hebron. They reportedly chased Bluth and other officers, chanting slurs condemning the IDF.

Israeli police arrested five people involved in the incident.

Katz referred to the incident on X, writing: “I strongly condemn the severe attack on the commander of the Central Command, Major General Avi Bluth, as well as IDF officers by a group of rioters in Hebron.

“Harming IDF commanders and soldiers, who dedicate their lives to the security of Israel and its citizens, harms the entire State of Israel. I expect law enforcement authorities to bring those involved in the incident to justice without delay and call on the settlements’ leadership to strongly condemn phenomena of this sort. The State of Israel will not tolerate violence of any kind against its servants,” Katz said.

The minister has previously said, “I condemn violence against Palestinians and taking the law into your own hands, and I am appealing to the settlements’ leadership to adopt a similar public stance and to voice it unequivocally. The IDF and the rest of [Israel’s] security forces and law enforcement authorities must be allowed to deal with terrorism and Palestinian violence, without taking the law into your own hands.”

The Shin Bet has been opposed to lifting the administrative detentions, with Bar stating in June that the move could result in a “serious harm to the security” of Israel.

Members of Israel’s coalition government have prepared to push for the release of Israeli Jews held in administrative detention in the wake of Yoav Gallant’s recent removal as defense minister.

During Gallant’s two years in office, the use of administrative detention against Israelis reached an all-time high.

Netanyahu announced Gallant’s firing on Nov. 5, saying it was prompted by disagreements on how to conduct the wars against Hamas, Hezbollah and other Iranian terrorist proxies in the region.

Shortly before his dismissal, Gallant signed off on the administrative detention for six months of 19-year-old Eliyakim Harel, a resident of the Binyamin region of southern Samaria, marking the 31st such order since he was named defense minister in December 2022. In the 74 years preceding Gallant’s tenure, a total of some 25 Israelis were held without charge.