ISRAELI COURT REJECTS TO FREE PALESTINIAN MP

Jerusalem, 2 Jumadil Awal 1434/13 March 2013 (MINA) – An Israeli court in Jerusalem rejected Tuesday an appeal by lawmaker Ahmad Attoun for his release and upheld an order to keep him in administrative detention for six months, according to a prisoners support group.

Attoun, who is from Jerusalem but expelled to the West Bank because he is a member of Hamas, was arrested in Ramallah on February 4 and slammed with administrative detention on February 14, which was also affirmed on Monday.

Attoun appealed the order to the Jerusalem court, which rejected this appeal.

Attoun and two other Hamas officials stayed inside the Red Cross office in Jerusalem for more than a year to prevent an Israeli arrest and expulsion. However, they were later arrested and sent to the West Bank after serving time in prison.

At least 15 Palestinian lawmakers are currently in Israeli detention, most of them held in administrative detention without charge or trial.

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Israel captured Attoun since last year on charges of incitement to the Palestinian people to demonstrate against the Israeli government policies and incited the prisoners to be on a hunger strike, according to Wafa news agency report monitored by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA), Wednesday.

       Attoun arrested in Ramallah on February 4, 2012, but then he moved to Israeli jails in West Bank because he was allegedly a member of Hamas faction. He was supposed to be released on February 14, 2013, but the Israeli government has not released him yet.
        Attoun then appealed to the court over the Israeli government’s treatment which has not been freed him yet. But it turns out that an Israeli court rejected the appeal.
        Besides being a member of the Palestinian parliament, Attoun, since 2010 also worked at the International Red Cross which the office is in Jerusalem. He was active in providing assistance to Palestinians injured in clashes with Israeli soldiers.
Right now, there are 15 members of the Palestinian parliament who are in Israeli prisons. Most of them detained in Israeli administrative detention without charges and without clearly trial as a prisoner. It is a violation of international law.

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        Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed deep concern over the current conditions of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons. He insisted that the prisoners should receive legal protection based on the rules of international law.
         “The UN secretary general is deeply concerned by the deteriorating conditions of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons who are on a hunger strike,” said UN spokesman Martin Nesirky when passes up a visit to Israeli jail in February 2013 ago.
         Ban Ki-moon also said almost all Palestinians in Israeli prisons are not protected by law. They do not know the certai reason they were arrested and when they will be out of jail.
         Services and facilities in an Israeli prison administration is also very alarming. Last week the prisoners did not get a drink out of the prison. The food which given also allegedly contains toxins that can weaken the physical condition of detainees. As well as torture by prison officials was inhumane.
         Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi has also sent a letter to the UN secretary general on the condition of the prisoners. “According to the plan, Ban will discuss the case in talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,” said Nesirky. (T/P04/E1)

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Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)