Administrative detainee Tal Yinon Dardik, who was being held at the Russian Compound detention facility in Jerusalem, was transferred to a hospital on Monday after he was found to have a low heart rate.
Last Friday, Defense Minister Israel Katz met with Dardik to ensure that his life was not in danger due to the hunger strike he began 22 days earlier.
According to sources close to Dardik’s family, during discussions Katz proposed that house arrest at friends’ homes serve as an alternative to his detention, but Dardik rejected the offer.
The security establishment claims that Dardik was involved in abusing Palestinians and committing indecent acts against one of them. Dardik denies the allegations against him.
The Honenu legal aid organization stated: “We call on Minister Katz and IDF Central Command Chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth: Immediately cancel the frightening order issued against Tal Dardik and stop using the anti-democratic and alarming practice of issuing administrative orders without trial or evidence. The purpose of such orders is to fight Arab terrorism. The time has come to stop the persecution of the settlement community in Judea and Samaria."
In a special podcast recorded at the Arutz Sheva studios, Dr. Chana Katan hosted Dardik’s mother, Bracha Dardik, for a conversation about her son, his detention, and the path that led him to the hills of Binyamin. During the interview, she presented the family’s version of events and voiced sharp criticism of the authorities’ handling of his case.
Bracha says, "It is important for me to say that Tal Yinon is a person who loves the Land of Israel. He is always quoting Torah," she said. She added that even after entering detention, her son requested that a Bible and his tefillin be brought to him, and that he continues to send messages to his family encouraging them to remain strong."
According to her, the decision to keep her son in prolonged detention is a painful event that the family is struggling to accept. As part of his legal struggle, she added, he decided to begin a hunger strike.
“The situation is only getting worse," his mother said, adding that her son fainted three times during his detention.