Suspected Jewish terrorist launches hunger strike, protesting custody order
Security officials confirm that far-right activist Meir Ettinger has continued his strike Thursday in protest of his arrest and custody.
By JPOST.COM STAFF, NOAM AMIR/MAARIV HASHAVUAUpdated: JANUARY 21, 2016 10:19Meir Ettinger attends a remand hearing at the Magistrate’s Court in Nazareth.(photo credit: AMMAR AWAD / REUTERS)Meir Ettinger, the far-right activist who was arrested and placed in administrative detention in August on suspicion of involvement in extremist Jewish activities and organizations, launched a hunger strike on Wednesday.Security officials confirmed to The Jerusalem Post's sister Hebrew publication Ma'ariv, that the grandson of ultra-Zionist Meir Kahane had continued his strike Thursday in protest of his custody.Each administrative detention decree allows security authorities to keep suspects in custody for up to six months without a trial, after which a judge needs to renew the order.In August, Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein approved a six-month order given by Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon to place Ettinger in administrative detention.Ettinger is expected to remain in administrative detention until mid-February, at which point the order will be reexamined.The orders came at the advice of the Shin Bet, which is in the midst of a crackdown on alleged Jewish terrorism in the wake of a deadly arson attack on a Palestinian home in the West Bank village of Duma in August.At the time of Ettinger's arrest, security sources said the order was signed due to Meir’s “involvement in violent activities and terrorist attacks that occurred recently, and his role as part of a Jewish terrorist group.”However, a security source declined to say whether the arrest had any direct link to the deadly arson attack on a Palestinian home in the village of Duma the week before.The Safed resident has an order banning him from the West Bank and Jerusalem.Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.