Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz on Tuesday, April 15, imposed an administrative detention order on Raja Eghbariya, 74, a leader of the Palestinian movement in Israel Abnaa al-Balad (Sons of the Land), for six months. According to Al-Ittihad, this comes about a week after his arrest and the failure of the Shin Bet and police to file an indictment against him.
Raja Eghbariya, 74, a leader of the Palestinian movement in Israel Abnaa al-Balad at court (Photo: Al Ittihad)
The administrative detention order came hours before Eghbariya was scheduled to appear in the Hadera Magistrate’s Court yesterday, where he was expected to be released, according to his defense team. Eghbariya was arrested last Wednesday from his family’s home in Umm al-Fahm, following a raid by police, Border Guard, and Shin Bet agents. He was then transferred to the Jalameh detention center near Haifa. Eghbariya is represented by attorney Badr Eghbariya. A court session was held last week to consider extending his detention. The court agreed to extend his detention before the Minister of Security issued the administrative detention order.
Available statistics and information indicate that approximately 27 young men from the Arab-Palestinian national minority in Israel are under administrative detention, the majority of whom have been subjected to administrative detention for six months.
According to Hadash MK Ofer Cassif, “Minister Israel Katz has issued an administrative detention warrant against a senior figure in the nonviolent dissident movement Abnaa al-Balad. It is the same Minister who’s first decision was to set settler terrorists free. In Israel, Palestinian citizens and anti-government activists are persecuted and targeted for exercising basic civil rights, while settlers’ terror groups roam free after assaulting villages. For the fascist government of Israel, if you are against its crimes and the occupation you will be beaten, silenced, and detained.”
Administrative detention of Israeli citizens and residents is carried out under the British colonial law Emergency Powers (Detentions). In administrative detention, a person is held without trial without having committed an offense, on the grounds that he or she plans to break the law in the future. As this measure is supposed to be preventive, it has no time limit. The person is detained without legal proceedings, by order of the regional military commander, based on classified evidence that is not revealed to them. This leaves the detainees helpless – facing unknown allegations with no way to disprove them, not knowing when they will be released, and without being charged, tried or convicted.
