Israel holding over 1,000 without charge, most since 2003

By ISABEL DEBRE
Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — An Israeli human rights group says that Israel is holding over 1,000 Palestinian detainees without charge or trial, the highest number since 2003. HaMoked, an Israeli rights group that regularly gathers figures from prison authorities, said Tuesday that as of April 2023 there were 1,016 detainees held in administrative detention. Nearly all are Palestinians, as administrative detention is very rarely used against Jews. Israel says it uses so-called administrative detention to thwart attacks and to hold dangerous militants without divulging incriminating material for security reasons. Palestinians and rights groups say the system is widely abused and denies due process.