'Gravely harms our son's rights': Administrative detainee's parents send letter to Gantz

The parents of Elhai Carmeli, the 21-year-old Samaria native who was removed from his home for four months by an administrative order, signed by outgoing Defense Minister Benny Gantz, sent a letter to Gantz on Sunday, asking him to rescind the order against their son.

Carmeli was arrested last week on suspicion of attacking a battalion commander from the paratrooper brigade last month in the Samaria village of Huwara and attacking a Palestinian in Sheikh Jarah.

In their letter, Carmeli's parents criticize the fact that the order was given without trial or notice: "Our son is under administrative arrest by an order signed by you, without a trial and with no opportunity to protect himself. The arrest warrant was issued after the Shabak and Police's claims against our son were not proven in the magistrate's court, and the court denied the request to arrest him," the letter states.

Carmeli's parents describe the great pain that the detention has caused them and their son, "Our son is married, the father of a one-year-old baby, he was taken away in a day, ripped out of his home, his daily routine, and his job as a scribe, without warning. Our eldest daughter is set to get married next month, and instead of happily preparing for the wedding, we are in mourning."

The Carmelies called on Gantz to rescind the order against their son: "We feel that our son is being inappropriately harassed. This is a draconian, invalid, and offensive order, which is not only baseless and wrong but also gravely harms our son's rights without any logic or morals."

The administrative detention was issued against Carmeli last week, after the magistrate's court in Jerusalem denied the request from the police to extend his detention, stating that if there is no progress in the investigation his detention will not be extended. Minutes after the court's decision Gantz issued the four-month administrative detention order. The order was approved by the Lod district court.