The Israeli government persists in its pattern of adopting laws and enforcing directives that further constrict the lives of Palestinian prisoners held in its facilities. Among these measures, it has recently introduced a new adjustment to the legislation concerning administrative prison releases.
As stated in Israel’s “Maariv” newspaper, the extreme right-wing Security Minister in the Israeli government, Itamar Ben Gvir, has put forth a modification to the law regarding administrative prisoner releases. This alteration eradicates the prior practice of early release for Palestinian inmates held in Israeli detention centers.
With this new rule in place, Palestinian detainees will no longer have the prospect of administrative early release from Israeli prisons. Previously, hundreds of prisoners serving minor sentences were discharged annually due to the overcrowded conditions and insufficient space in the detention centers. However, this practice has now been rescinded.
Upon the introduction of the law’s modification, Ben Gvir responded, “I am committed to ceasing improvements to the lives of the individuals (in reference to Palestinian prisoners) in prisons. There is still much more I am obliged to accomplish.”
During his electoral campaign, the hardliner Ben Gvir declared his intention to tighten restrictions on Palestinian detainees and to advocate for the Knesset to authorize the death penalty against them.
Primarily, the new resolution targets sick detainees who would have been entitled to early release, effectively subjecting them to a slow death.
Over the previous six months, Ben Gvir has issued numerous directives to impose greater restrictions on prisoners, including shuttering of bakeries, minimization of bathroom and water use, and discontinuation of dental treatments.
The Israeli authorities are currently detaining over 5000 individuals, including 29 women and 160 minors, one of whom is a girl, all under 18 years of age. Moreover, there are more than a thousand administrative detainees, which include six children and two women.
