Evyatar Slonim, a Jewish administrative detainee, has announced that he began a hunger strike on Saturday. In doing so, he is joining his fellow detainee Meir Ettinger, who has now gone eight days without food.
Slonim and Ettinger have been held in an Israel Security Agency (ISA, also known as the Shabak or Shin Bet) facility for almost six months, and are scheduled to be released next week. However, their comrades suspect that Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon (Likud) intends to extend their detention periods.
The legal defense organization Honenu, which represents both suspects, claims that there has been no court order or evidence showing why they should be held.
A third Jewish detainee, Mordechai Meir, was recently released.
All three were arrested following the deadly arson in the Arab village of Duma last year, despite police admitting they were not suspected of involvement in the crime.