Israel to imprison Palestinian legislator six more months without trial

IMEMC – An Israeli military court decided Thursday to renew, for six more months, the administrative detention order against elected legislator, Mohammad At-Til, from Al Thaheriyya town, south of the southern West bank city of Hebron.

The Hamas’ Change and Reform Parliamentary Bloc, issued a press release denouncing the Israeli violation, and stated that this is the second time in a row Israel renews administrative detention order against the detained elected official.

It added that this decision reflects “the terrorist and criminal nature of the Zionist occupation and its ongoing violations against elected officials”.

The Bloc demanded Arab and Islamic parliaments to intervene and practice real pressure on the international level to ensure the release of all elected legislators and officials.

At-Til was kidnapped by the army on December 28, 2010, and was placed in administrative detention without charges filed against him, for six month. The order was renewed for additional six months.

Throughout the years, especially after the first Intifada started in 1987, Israel detained thousands of Palestinians and placed them under administrative detention orders that were repeatedly renewed forcing hundreds of detainees behind bars for several years without even knowing what charges, if any, were brought against them under the so-called “security file” that even defense attorneys cannot view.

Following Hamas’ overwhelming victory in the 2006 legislative elections, Israel and the United States led a campaign to shun the new democratically elected cabinet. Israel then went on to arrest most of the elected legislators, mayors and officials in an attempt to force the collapse of the elected government.