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Herald Reporter
The Palestinian Embassy in Zimbabwe has condemned Israeli’s practice of administrative detention, which it says was being used as a tool of repression against Palestinians.
In a statement, Palestinian Ambassador to Zimbabwe Tamer Almassri demanded the immediate release of all Palestinian detainees, who are on hunger strike including Khalil Awawdeh (40), who is now in hospital after an extensive hunger strike for 170 days.
Awawdeh began refusing food to protest his detention by Israel without charges or trial.
Ambassador Almassri said Israel has a practice of arresting suspects for renewable six-month terms without allowing them to view the charges or evidence against them.
“Over the past half-century, Israel has unlawfully and punitively imprisoned nearly 60 000 Palestinian men and women under so-called administrative detention,” said Ambassador Almassri.
“Today, in a clear violation of international law, apartheid Israel continues to use administrative detention to imprison more than 500 Palestinians including six children without charges, without trials, and without convictions, all based on so-called ‘classified secret information’ that the detainees have no access to.
“They have no recourse to challenging these undisclosed allegations, and they do not know when they are going to be released. This arbitrary detention is strictly prohibited under international law, including international humanitarian law,” he said.
Ambassador Almassri said Israel continues “in its pervasive violations of international law and the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to freedom, justice, and self-determination because of the utter failure of the international community to hold Israel accountable for its egregious violations”.
“This collective international failure has allowed Israel to, among other crimes, shatter the lives and rights of tens of thousands of Palestinians victimised and persecuted through administrative detention.
“The State of Palestine is disappointed with the international community’s failure to act against the Israeli violations in the occupied Palestinian territories since 1967.
“We, therefore, call on the international community to condemn and hold the Israeli apartheid State responsible for its crimes against the Palestinian people,” said Ambassador Almassri.
Online Reporter