A Palestinian man who was captured by Israel without charge has been released from custody and will be transferred to a Palestinian hospital in the West Bank after more than two months on a hunger strike, his supporters said on Thursday. said.
According to the Haaretz daily, after discussions between Israeli and Palestinian officials, a senior official of the Central Command of the Israel Defense Forces signed the cancellation of the administrative detention order of Gadanfar Abu Atwan on Thursday evening.
Palestinian Prisoners Club spokesman Amjad al-Najjar said Thursday night that Abu Atwan would be released from an Israeli hospital in “the coming hours” and transferred to a hospital in Ramallah.
A lawyer for Abu Atwan had earlier said that his client’s condition had worsened in recent days and he wanted to be transferred from Rehovot’s Kaplan Medical Center.
A July 7 medical record and review by The Associated Press show that Abu Atwan went through several periods where he refused to drink water or liquids with added sugar, salt or vitamins.
Records described him as “quite weak, almost unable to speak” and unable to move his lower limbs.
Al-Danfar Abu Atwan in the first statement after the revocation of the administrative detention order. Congratulations to Abu Mazen and Palestinian Intelligence Chief Majid Faraz. Discussions about revoking custody have taken place in recent days, including talks between Ganz and MK from United. Abu Atwan was hungry for 63 days in protest against his administrative detention. Tonight he will be shifted to a hospital in Ramallah. pic.twitter.com/U6YGAJ7y1M
— Jack Khoury 8 July 2021
The case has drawn renewed attention to “administrative custody”, a controversial Israeli policy in which it holds suspects without charge for months at a time.
Attorney Jawad Bolos said Abu Atwan was arrested, released and re-arrested in October, but never charged.
The administrative custody of Abu Atwan was suspended two weeks ago by Israel’s Supreme Court due to his serious health condition. But the court’s decision left him “sick and incarcerated in the hospital,” Boulos said.
“Her only demand today is that she be immediately released and returned to her home, or that she be transferred to a Palestinian hospital so she can complete her treatment there,” Bolos told the AP on Thursday.
Abu Atwan, 27, hails from Dura, near the West Bank city of Hebron. He was previously accused of throwing stones at a military vehicle and was sentenced to 18 months in 2014. In 2018 he was again accused of membership in an unrecognized union, and received a 20-month sentence, according to Haaretz.
Israel’s Shin Bet Internal Security Service said Abu Atwan is a member of a Palestinian terrorist group, but is no longer seen as a threat because of his health condition. It also confirmed that he was being transferred to the Palestinian Authority for treatment in a Palestinian hospital.
It added that if Abu Atwan is once again considered a threat, “necessary action” will be taken.
According to Haaretz, the administrative custody order was due to last until October.
Al-Adenfar Abu Atwan, an administrative prisoner in the Hebron region, has been on hunger strike for 64 days.
I visited him today at Kaplan Hospital, his health is deteriorating, and he continues to fight against his administrative detention, an inhumane tool that allows Israel to kidnap Palestinians without prosecution or guilt.Al-Adenfar and all political prisoners will be released
substantial administrative arrests pic.twitter.com/mcZNS59L2I— Sami Abu Shahdeh (@ShahadehAbou) July 7, 2021
Administrative detention enables authorities to detain people for extended periods without making formal charges against them, a practice condemned by critics as undemocratic and degrading, but a necessary measure in those cases by the security establishment. Where disclosure of evidence would harm national security. .
The Palestinian Prisoners Club, an advocacy group that represents Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, said Abu Atwan began his hunger strike in prison on May 5 and was subject to abuse and assault. It was alleged that he was then shifted to several prisons, beaten up and sprayed with a substance that made breathing difficult.
On June 21, the organization said, Abu Atwan’s health seriously deteriorated and he needed immediate medical attention.
The hospital declined to comment on his condition, citing privacy laws.