I’ve written before about the thousands of Palestinians who are held as political prisoners or prisoners of conscience in Israeli jails. On April 21st, Ahmad Qatamsheh joined the approximately 7000 Palestinians in Israeli jails. He is an academic , writer and activist. He has been arrested before, tortured and interrogated and spent 6 years in administrative detention, which means that he was held without charge. He was released in 1998, the longest serving administrative detainee. His current arrest happened in the usual way that Palestinians are arrested: his home was invaded in the middle of the night by armed Israeli occupation soldiers, carrying American-made weapons. He is currently in Ofer prison, waiting for another administrative detention order. Once again, there will be no charges and under current Israeli law, 6-month administrative detention orders can be renewed indefinitely.
There was no need for legal niceties such as a subpoena signed by a judge, the necessity to have evidence as a basis for the subpoena etc. This was not even a police action but a military one, driving the point home that Palestinians live under martial law with a military commander who can make arbitrary changes to laws without notice for Palestinians who don’t have the rights of the Israelis who occupy them. Three women – his wife, daughter and niece, have given interviews and written articles talking about their experiences.