Over 1,200 Palestinians held by Israel last month: NGOs

RAMALLAH, Palestine – More than 1,200 Palestinians were detained by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank last month, according to Palestinian NGOs.

“A total of 165 minors and 11 women were among 1,228 Palestinians arrested by the Israeli army in April,” four Palestinian groups said in a joint statement.

The occupied city of East Jerusalem recorded the highest number of detentions with 793 people arrested, including 139 minors, the statement said.

“Israel issued 154 ‘administrative detention’ orders last month,” it added.

According to the Israeli Information Centre for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, “Administrative detention is incarceration without trial or charge, alleging that a person plans to commit a future offense. It has no time limit, and the evidence on which it is based is not disclosed. Israel employs this measure extensively and routinely, and has used it to hold thousands of Palestinians for lengthy periods of time.”

The NGOs cited violations against detainees and their families during the arrests, including opening fire on detainees and terrifying them by dogs.

The statement was issued by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)’s Commission for Detainees and Ex-Detainees, the Palestinian Prisoner Society, the Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association (Addameer) and the Jerusalem-based Wadi Hilweh Information Center.

According to Palestinian estimates, there are 4,700 Palestinians held in Israeli detention facilities, including 32 women, 170 minors and nearly 600 held under Israel’s administrative detention policy without charge or trial.