(JNi.media) Israel’s High Court on Monday heard an appeal to release Mohammed Allan, held under the rules of administrative detention, who has been on a hunger strike for two months. Allan is reportedly associated with Islamic Jihad.
The 30-year-old Allan was arrested in November 2014 and detained without charge for two half-year periods, under the pre-state security measure “administrative detention.” The measure permits the state to appeal to a judge in camera to approve putting behind bars an individual of whose ongoing danger to the public it is certain beyond doubt, but cannot provide sufficient proof to that effect.
Justice Elyakim Rubinstein said that there has been no change in the factors that had led initially to placing Allan in detention without trial. The court hearing will resume on Wednesday, and in the meantime the state will try to reach an agreement with Allan’s attorney.
Palestinian Authority Minister for Prisoner Affairs Issa Karaka told Israel Radio that the deportation of Arabs outside their homeland is a crime. Karaka was responding to the State Attorney’s Office which informed the High Court that the state is ready to release Allan, provided he leave Israel for four years.
A month ago, the state released Khader Adnan from detention, after he had staged a 56-day hunger strike that brought him near death. Adnan had been held for a year under administrative detention.
Attorney Jamil Khatib, representing administrative detainee Allan, told Israel Radio that his client’s medical condition justifies a renewed judgment about his arrest. Khatib said that administrative detention is not fair, because the detainee is not entitled to know the allegations against him and on what basis it was determined that he was dangerous. He added that the extent of the damage to Allan’s body from his hunger strike is still not clear, and will be confirmed only after he regains consciousness.
Khatib rejected the exile offer, insisting Allan be released from custody because he is innocent.
Doctors in Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon said on Monday that they may reduce the amount of anesthetics being given to Allan, allowing him to regain consciousness, Ma’an reported.
A spokeswoman for the medical center said the decision would “depend on his medical condition.”
Attorney Khatib accused Israeli doctors of putting his client under medical anesthetics “illegally,” although the medical center insists that Allan’s coma was not medically induced.
The doctors at Barzilai said they connected Allan to ventilators to assist his breathing and gave him fluids and sodium intravenously.
On Sunday evening, Qadura Fares, head of the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society, accused the Israeli doctors of choosing to prolong Allan’s life “on his behalf,” saying that it was “unethical.”
In earlier discussions, the IMA, Israel’s Medical Association, refused to obey a new Knesset law that empowered the government to force feed hunger striking prisoners. But, in consultation with a Red Cross representative who visited Allan’s bedside, the doctors agreed to apply life sustaining measures after the prisoner lost consciousness.
Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan warned that the release of Allan will lead to mass hunger strike of the security prisoners, and will become a new weapon in the hands of terrorists. “Allan’s petition, release him due to his poor health, is delusional,” Erdan tweeted on Monday.