Following the intervention of Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Israel Prisons Service (IPS) will transfer Amiram Ben-Uliel, who was convicted of murdering members of the Dawabsheh family in Duma, to the religious wing during Rosh Hashanah.
The head of the ISA, Ronen Bar, sent an official letter yesterday (Wednesday) to Prime Minister Netanyahu in which he wrote that the ISA opposes the transfer of Amiram Ben-Uliel to the religious wing. At the same time, he made it clear that he would not oppose his transfer to the religious wing during the holidays.
Before the minister intervened, 14 Members of Knesset from multiple different parties appealed to the head of the ISA, Ronen Bar, with a request to improve the conditions of imprisonment of Amiram Ben-Uliel, who was convicted of murdering members of the Dawabsheh family in Kfar Duma and imprisoned in solitary confinement in Eshel Prison.
In their letter, the MKs pointed out the harsh conditions of incarceration in which he is being held, his precarious mental state, and the inequality - according to them - between him and other security prisoners.
"As you know, since Amiram Ben-Uliel was imprisoned 7.5 years ago, he has been staying alone in his cell in complete isolation and in the harshest conditions of confinement in the State of Israel. His mental condition has recently deteriorated due to the prolonged isolation, and there is great concern for his mental and physical health," the MKs wrote.
They noted the fact that the prisoner's transfer on the last Seder night to the religious wing did him good. "On the last Seder night, Amiram's request to move to the religious wing was approved for the first time. This was a matter of great importance for him."
They asked the head of the ISA to work to allow Ben-Uliel to move to the religious wing during the High Holidays. "The basis of the request is the fact that the ISA emphasizes a respectful and humane attitude while strictly maintaining human rights and human dignity. As you know, these terms of imprisonment are not part of Amiram's sentence, and there is no justification for treating him with abject inequality, with conditions not given to security prisoners serving life sentences for brutal murders."
"We ask that you grant the clear, proportionate, and worthy request for all of us and the respect of a democratic and moral society in the State of Israel. We request that Amiram be removed from the harsh isolation conditions in which he is in the Torah wing, at least for the Tishrei holidays," the letter reads.
The Justice for Amiram movement commented: "We call on the members of the Knesset, the ministers, and all the decision-makers to immediately order the Israel Prison Service Commissioner Kati Perry, the head of the ISA, and all the relevant authorities to immediately stop Amiram's disgraceful conditions of imprisonment, and transfer him to a religious wing until a just trial is held In his case - like to Burns and Zadorov."
This week the IPS informed the Hoennu legal aid organization that it is considering transferring him to the religious win. The answer was given in response to the letter sent by his lawyer, Adi Kedar, in which he mentioned the harsh conditions in which the prisoner was being held. "My client, a prisoner in the isolation wing, is married and the father of a female minor who leads a haredi lifestyle. The prisoner is in a cell alone, without a television, and without the possibility of going to education and activities throughout the prison, and is engaged in studying and praying in his cell all day. The prisoner has been detained since 2015 and does not receive communications. In the last two months, the prisoner began to receive phone calls from his family members after many years in which he was denied phone calls. After long years in which the prisoner stays in isolation wings, in a cell alone, and there is a significant concern for his health and mental state, after long years of isolation."
The lawyer appealed to the prison officer at Eshel Prison and asked that she allow Ben-Uliel to move to the prison wing: "The prisoner has submitted several requests to be transferred to the prison wing, the wing that suits his lifestyle and is suitable for the prisoner, and has not yet been granted. We would like you to consider this request positively since, as mentioned, the long stay in the cell alone is seriously harming my client and his health, and since the right and appropriate place for a prisoner is the religious wing, where he can integrate into studies, prayers in a quorum, and other activities relevant to the prisoner."
Attorney Kedar said: "There is no more appropriate time than the new year and the holiday season to make amends for the ongoing injustice and transfer Amiram to appropriate conditions, and we hope that this will be done before Rosh Hashanah."
Shortly after the appeal, it was announced that Following the intervention of the Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir, it was decided in the prison service to transfer Amiram Ben Oliel, who was convicted of murdering members of the Devabsha family in Duma, to the Torah wing during Rosh Hashanah.