High Court issues mixed ruling on policies for detaining Palestinians

NGOs demanded state revoke policy of holding Palestinian minors longer than Israeli minors living in territories.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
High Court of Justice 370 (photo credit: yonah jeremy bob)
High Court of Justice 370
(photo credit: yonah jeremy bob)
The High Court of Justice on Sunday issued a mixed ruling to a petition by rights groups against the state's policies of holding Palestinians in custody for periods that exceed those of Israelis living beyond the Green Line.
The court issued a partial ruling to a petition filed by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), Yesh Din, and the Public Committee Against Torture, which demanded that the state apply the law equally to both Israeli and Palestinian minors in Judea and Samaria.
The court rejected the petition in regard to the maximum time of detention prior to indictment for adults suspected of security crimes, but ordered the state to explain its policies regarding maximum detention periods for minors and adults suspected of non-security crimes. In addition the court required the state to explain its policies regarding the detention of suspects for the duration of legal proceedings against them.
The court ordered the state to address the issues by September 15, 2014.
The ACRI said that the state had eased its detention policies in the wake of the petition.
“The petition led to a shrinking of the discriminatory gap between Israelis and Palestinians living in the territories as it relates to the lengths of custody in which they are held,” said Laila Margalit, an attorney for ACRI. “On some issues, the court made clear that it was not willing to make do with the progress that was made.”