The Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and Israel Prison Service (IPS) have denied a Jewish prisoner's request to attend his sister’s wedding, scheduled to take place later this week, despite positive evaluations of his behavior and the fact that he is set to be released in the coming months.
The request was for a 12-hour special leave—an entitlement typically granted to prisoners for the wedding of a first-degree relative. The prisoner is currently serving a sentence for assaulting Arabs in the village of Huwara, in Samaria.
In their rejection, security officials claimed the inmate’s participation in the wedding could “incite unrest in Judea and Samaria and encourage further violent activity against Palestinians and security forces.”
Attorney Avichai Hajbi of the Honenu legal organization, who represents the prisoner, responded: “The General Security Service continues to persecute Jewish detainees without justification. It is clear to all that following recent revelations, the Jewish Division of the Shin Bet can no longer be relied upon, and it should be shut down.”
It is worth noting that the inmate had previously been approved for early release by the parole board. However, an appeal was filed against the decision, prompting a new hearing. During the proceedings, Shin Bet representatives demanded that the inmate’s early release be conditioned upon a meeting with a Shin Bet representative.
The resident refused the meeting, arguing that the condition was unreasonable and intended to humiliate him. As a result of his refusal, the early release was revoked.