A discussion was held today at the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee of the Knesset, headed by MK Simcha Rothman, on the proposal to restrict the use of administrative detentions against Israeli citizens.
The proposal, submitted by Rothman, seeks to apply the emergency law provisions only in cases where there is reasonable cause to suspect that the citizen is a member of a terrorist organization.
MK Limor Sun Har-Melech made a speech expressing her opposition to the use of administrative detentions against settlers. "What has become a routine tool in the hands of the ISA and the Defense Minister, should have been a last resort," she said. She further claimed that administrative detentions were originally intended to prevent time-sensitive threats, but is being used in cases that do not meet this criterion.
The discussion was attended by lawyer Nati Rom from the Honenu organization, who criticized what he defined as a lack of transparency process, where decisions are made without solid evidence and only partial charges. "An administrative arrest must be a tool intended for the enemies of the state, not for its loyal citizens," Rom said.
Ariel Daninu, who was administratively detained, disputed the ISA's claims that the procedure is reserved for dangerous people. "The ISA offered me to be released in exchange for a declaration that I would not engage in terrorism, so they could publish that I 'admitted' guilt," he said.
Rivka Shapira, the mother of the detainee Avraham Shapira, described her ordeal follwing her son's arrest, saying he is "imprisoned without trial and without evidence". She added that her son, a filmmaker documenting life in Judea and Samaria, is not an enemy of the state. "The residents of Judea and Samaria are not the enemy," she said, criticizing the security system and its harsh attitude towards Israelis in Judea and Samaria.
At the end of her speech, MK Har-Melech (Otzma Yehudit) addressed the incoming Defense Minister, Israel Katz, calling him to cancel the administrative orders issued against Israeli citizens.