Israel renews detention of Palestinian journalist

Israeli authorities yesterday renewed the administrative detention order of Palestinian journalist, human rights activist, and Addameer media coordinator Hasan Safadi for an additional six months.

According to prisoners’ rights group Addameer, Israeli forces initially detained Safadi as he crossed the Allenby bridge between the occupied West Bank and Jordan at the start of May, keeping him under Israeli military interrogation for 40 days before sentencing him to six months of administrative detention.

The group said the detention of Safadi represents “the continued attack on Palestinian journalists and media workers”, as several others are also being held in administrative detention.

Israel’s widely-condemned policy of administrative detention allows internment without charge or trial in maximum six-month long renewable intervals based on undisclosed evidence that even a detainee’s lawyer is barred from viewing.

Rights groups have claimed that Israel’s detention policy has been used as an attempt to disrupt Palestinian political processes, notably targeting Palestinian politicians, activists and journalists.

Addameer stated in May that the group “condemns the violations practiced by the occupation forces systematically against human rights activists, and human rights defenders, and journalists.”

“Addameer also denounces the arbitrary detentions against them and others standing in solidarity with the Palestinian people in light of the daily crimes practiced against them by the occupation forces, which violate international human rights and humanitarian laws,” the group added.

According to Addameer, 7,000 Palestinians were being held in Israeli prisons as of October, 720 of whom are being held in administrative detention, including three Palestinian parliament members.