Israel extends detention without trial of Palestinian politician Khalida Jarrar

Details of the accusations against Jarrar are secret, as is common practice with Israeli administrative detention, which allows the imprisonment without trial for renewable six-month periods.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab & agencies

02 January, 2018

Khalida Jarrar, a senior member of the PFLP, was arrested on July 2 [Getty]

Israel has extended the detention without trial of prominent Palestinian politician Khalida Jarrar by a further six months, meaning she will spend at least one year in prison.

Jarrar, a senior member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), was arrested on July 2 on charges of being a member of an illegal organisation.

She had been released from an Israeli jail only a year before.

Details of the accusations against her are secret, as is common practice with Israeli administrative detention, which allows the detention without trial for renewable six-month periods.

On December 24, Jarrar's detention was extended by another six months "after security personnel found she still poses a substantial threat," the Israeli army said.

"The decision to hold Jarrar under administrative detention was made as a last resort, after the military official who signed the arrest warrant was displayed confidential information that clearly substantiates the threat posed by Jarrar," the army said in a statement.

Many PFLP leaders are in custody and Jarrar has been jailed multiple times.

The 54-year-old had only been released in June 2016 after 14 months in an Israeli jail for allegedly encouraging attacks against Israelis.

Israel says administrative detention is intended to allow authorities to hold suspects while continuing to gather evidence, with the aim of preventing attacks in the meantime.

The policy has been criticised by Palestinians, human rights groups and members of the international community who say Israel abuses the measure.

The Addameer rights group says around 6,150 Palestinians are currently in Israeli jails, including around 450 in administrative detention.

Jarrar is the 11th member of the Palestinian parliament currently in jail, according to the Palestinian Prisoners' Club NGO.

According to the Prisoners' Club, Palestinian lawmaker Nasser Abdel Jawwad of Hamas was arrested this week in Salfit in the occupied West Bank.