"The use of the phrase ‘so called’ in the context of Israel’s use of administrative detention laws is misleading. 'So called’ brings into question the validity and reality of ‘administrative detention’ as a widespread practice of the Israeli military. Israel’s use of administrative detention has been documented by both the United Nations and human rights and civil society organizations. There is nothing ‘so called’ about the administrative detentions."
Dear Mr. Bell, Mr Harland-Dunaway and Ms. Ray,
I am writing to you as a member of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME, https://www.cjpme.org) about the report, “Palestinians celebrate a new generation of West Bank militants aired by The World on May 3, 2023.
I appreciated Tahani Mustafa from the International Crisis Group having the opportunity to provide some context for the rising discouragement and hopelessness of Palestinian youth.
I did have concerns with one issue in your report. The use of the phrase ‘so called’ in the context of Israel’s use of administrative detention laws is misleading. 'So called’ brings into question the validity and reality of ‘administrative detention’ as a widespread practice of the Israeli military. Israel’s use of administrative detention has been documented by both the United Nations and human rights and civil society organizations. There is nothing ‘so called’ about the administrative detentions.
For example, according to Israeli Prison Services data obtained by B’Tselem, The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, there were 784 Palestinians being held in administrative detention as of December 2022. The length of imprisonment ranged from several months to several years.”1 2 In October 2020, Michael Lynk the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967 called upon Israel to abolish its practice of administrative detention and to release the Palestinian prisoners in administrative detention.3
I would request that in future reports you avoid using phrases like ‘so called’ when describing administrative detentions.
Sincerely,
Debbie Hubbard
CJPME-Okanagan
Kelowna, British Columbia
- https://www.btselem.org/topic/administrative_detention
- https://www.btselem.org/administrative_detention/statistics
- https://www.un.org/unispal/document/special-rapporteur-on-the-situation-
of-human-rights-in-the-opt-calls-for-israel-to-end-practice-of-administrative-
detention-and-immediately-release-maher-al-akhras-press-release/