Israel Matzav

Europeans concerned about terrorist's health

The Europeans don't seem to be particularly concerned about the Syrian opposition, but when it comes to hunger-striking 'Palestinian' terrorists being held in administrative detention by Israel, that's a different story altogether. Catherine Ashton is very worried about Islamic Jihad spokesman Khader Adnan.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Ashton urged Israel to "do all it can" to preserve Adnan's health. She further reiterated the EU's longstanding concern about Israel's "extensive use of administrative detention without formal charge."

So does that mean that she wants us to force feed him? Wouldn't that preserve his health?

Adnan was arrested by Israel on December 17 and started a hunger strike the following day. He is considered one of the Islamic Jihad's leaders in the West Bank and has served as the group's spokesman in the area for the past few years. He has been previously arrested several times – including by Palestinian security forces – and has served prison terms for various security offences.

Adnan's condition remained largely unchanged in the last few days after being determined stable earlier this week. "There is no immediate danger to his life, but he is at a critical point, as anyone would be after hunger striking for so long," said Dr Raymond Farah, head of the Sieff Hospital's Internal Medicine Department.

The hospital's director, Dr. Oscar Ambon, added that doctors are doing everything to preserve the detainee's health "regardless of his identity." He added, "the doctors are working to maintain the detainee's rights as a patient under the circumstances and his own cooperation. We hope he will allow us to provide him with medical assistance and the nourishment he needs."

He's not likely to let us provide it. He might let Physicians for Human Rights provide it, but of course, that would mean releasing him from detention. Read the whole thing.

This is not Adnan's first hunger strike. He did the same thing in 201o when he was arrested by the 'Palestinian Authority.' Of course, since Israel wasn't involved, no one really noticed then.

And a word about administrative detention, which I'm sure rubs many of my Western readers the wrong way - at least as it's often described in the media. When I first came on aliya - and it was being widely employed by the Rabin government (and by Peres' rump government in the aftermath of the Rabin assassination) against the 'enemies of peace' - it bothered me immensely. Several Jews in the mid-90's were placed under a house arrest form of administrative detention without charges. The orders were for 3-6 months and would be renewed over and over again. I said "charge them or release them."

It turns out that Adnan has been charged. This is from a friend who is a law professor.

[Adnan] is being detained under one of three administrative detention laws (can’t tell which one from the news reports), every one of which requires that the detainee be brought before a judge within a short period of time. While the rules of evidence are different in detention proceedings than in criminal proceedings, detentions must be based on evidence. All detainees, including terrorists like Adnan, have habeas corpus rights before the High Court of Justice.

Administrative detention of this kind is used by democratic and rights-respecting states around the world, including the US and the UK. See, e.g., this article, describing Israel’s detention law as more rights-respecting than that of the US. Under Obama, this is still true – see, e.g., this article.

In this case, it’s fairly clear why he’s being held. And contrary to the insinuations of Amnesty International, the “right of association” does not grant people the right to immunity from punishment for activities in terrorist organizations.

Indeed, on the day that Adnan was arrested, al-Arabiya described him as "one of the main leaders of the Palestinian militant movement Islamic Jihad." He wasn't just someone that the army or the government wanted to keep off the street.

Labels: Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Palestinian terrorists

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:28 AM