Israel offers `“voluntary deportation` instead of administrative detention

Palestinian detainees who spent more than two years in the Negev detention camp, without charges, said that the Israeli Prison Authorities is offering them to be “voluntarily deported”,  instead of remaining in detention.

Detainee Waleed Hanatsha, 36, told the France Press that the Israeli military prosecution officially offered him through his lawyer to be deported for two years, but he rejected the offer.

 

Hanatsha was arrested in March 2002, and was interrogated for 22 days before he was transferred to the Negev detention camp; Israeli Prison Authorities renewed the detention orders against him for 13 times without filing any charges against him.

An Israeli appeal court order the release of Hanatsha, but prison authorities rejected to release him.

Also, Hanatsha said that the Israeli authorities offered three other detainees to be deported instead of remaining in administrative detention, but they rejected.

Ad Dameer Institution described the deportation offer as a “silent deportation”, and launched a local and an international campaign in support of the detainees who spent several years in administrative detention.  

Currently, there are more than 600 detainees in administrative detention, 100 were arrested last week.

26 detainees have been in administrative detention over the last four years, and 135 detainees were arrested three years ago.

Detainee Abdul-Raziq Farraj, 24, was transferred to administrative detention after he was arrested in 2002, and received several newel orders.

“They always renew my detention orders on the day of my supposed release”, Farraj said, “My wife, and child, wait for the day of my release, but then Israel renews my detention period, I think they will only believe that I will be released when am already at home”.

Israel uses administrative detention against the Palestinians since 1978 using an emergency law which was imposed by the British Mandate before Israel was established.

More than 8000 detainees are currently in Israeli prisons and detention facilities, most of them were arrested since the beginning of the Intifada in 2000. Some of the detainees were arrested more than 20 years ago, the Palestinian Prisoners Society reported.