Israeli Defence Minister, Israel Katz, has announced his decision to release Israeli settlers held under administrative detention, coinciding with the anticipated release of Palestinian prisoners as part of a ceasefire deal to end Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.
The three-phase deal, set to take effect Sunday, includes a prisoner exchange and sustained calm, aiming for a permanent truce and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
“In light of the expected release of terrorists from Judea and Samaria as part of the hostage release deal,” Katz stated, “I have decided to release the settlers detained in administrative detention and to convey a clear message of strengthening and encouraging the settlements, which are at the forefront of the struggle against Palestinian terrorism and facing growing security challenges.”
The prisoner exchange is expected to take place on Sunday or Monday.
He emphasised, “It is better for the families of Jewish settlers to be happy than the families of released terrorists.”
It comes after the far-right Minister suspended administrative detention orders against Israeli settlers accused of attacking Palestinians, enabling them to evade prosecution. The decision has drawn sharp criticism from Palestinian authorities and human rights groups, who warn it could encourage further violence.
Israeli rights NGO, Peace Now, denounced the suspension of administrative detention for settlers as a “cynical and reckless move that whitewashes and normalises Jewish terrorism under the cover of war”,
Israel has long been accused of maintaining a two-tiered legal system for those living in the Occupied West Bank; with one set of laws for Jewish-Israelis under criminal law and another for Palestinians, who are tried under military laws.
Israeli Occupation forces have arrested 12,100 Palestinians in the Occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since they launched the war on Gaza on 7 October 2023, a prisoners’ rights group said.
The Palestinian Prisoners Club pointed out that the figure does not include Palestinians detained in Gaza, which are estimated in the thousands.
All parts of the Israeli-Occupied West Bank and Jerusalem are witnessing raids and incursions into villages and towns by the Occupation forces and illegal Jewish settlers. All of Israel’s settlements and the settlers who live in them are illegal under international law. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) reiterated this in July and ruled that the Israeli occupation must end.
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