The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal by two hunger-striking security prisoners from Palestinian Authority enclaves demanding their release.
Around 1,550 Arab security prisoners in Israeli jails have been hunger-striking for three weeks in a protest against the detentions, wide denial of family visits, and solitary confinement.
In the ruling, the Supreme Court advised security officials to consider freeing the men for medical reasons, but nonetheless backed the government's right tol hold them.
Adnan went 66 days without food and only agreed to end his strike after Israel agreed not to renew his detention beyond the original order.
The decision to release him was widely criticized as "opening the floodgates" to more hunger-strike challenges by prisoners with reason to believe Israeli officials would capitulate.
There arrests came as the IDF and Israel's General Security Services began a full court press to crackdown on terror cells in Judea and Samaria last summer.
The World Medical Association maintains hunger-striking prisoners who have made a rational decision to refuse sustenance should be allowed to continue their strike.
"The decision as to the capacity of the prisoner to form such a judgment should be confirmed by at least one other independent physician. The consequences of the refusal of nourishment shall be explained by the physician to the prisoner," the WMA maintains.
Such orders can be appealed to a higher court, and must be reviewed by the court every six months. Israel's Supreme Court is the final court of appeal.
In late January, the GSS and Israel Police foiled a shooting attack planned by an Israeli Arab in collaboration with an Islamic Jihad terror cell from Tulkarem in northern Samaria.
Islamic Jihad leaders in Gaza – whose terror cells are heavily involved in rocket attacks on Israel's southern communities – have been targeted with airstrikes rather than arrest and detention.
In the last two months, there have been numerous attempts by Islamic Jihad and Hamas to smuggle firearms, ammunition, and pipe-bombs through checkpoints Samaria.