Israel reinstates Palestinian hunger striker's administrative detention

Israeli authorities have reinstated the administrative detention of a Palestinian detainee who has been on hunger strike for 107 days, two weeks after an Israeli court froze his detention order, Anadolu News Agency reports.

Khaled, the brother of hunger striker, Kayed Al-Fasfous, told Anadolu Agency on Friday that the Israeli order to restore administrative imprisonment was given to Al-Fasfous on Thursday.

On 14 October, the Israeli Supreme Court issued an order freezing Al-Fasfous’ administrative detention.

Al-Fasfous, 31, of Dura, a town west of the West Bank city of Hebron, is the oldest of six Palestinian hunger strikers protesting their imprisonment without charges or trial.

Administrative detention allows Israeli authorities to detain anyone for six months without charge or trial, which can be extended indefinitely.

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“Officers from the Israeli intelligence, police and Israel Prison Service came to his room at the Barzilai Medical Centre in Ashkelon, southern Israel, on Thursday evening and handed him the order reactivating his administrative detention,” Khaled said.

According to the new decision, Al-Fasfous will remain in administrative detention until 14 December.

His brother added that Israeli authorities have barred Al-Fasfous’ family and lawyer from visiting him.

Meanwhile, Hasan Abed Rabbo, spokesman for the official Palestine Liberation Organization’s Commission of Detainees Affairs, said Al-Fasfous has been held in an Israeli hospital in a serious health condition.

He told Anadolu Agency that reactivating the administrative detention means “an execution attempt of a slow death sentence.”

There are around 4,850 Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, including 520 administrative detainees, according to institutions concerned with prisoners’ affairs.