The Israel Defense Forces continues to use administrative orders against Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria, despite Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz’s directive to cancel the practice of detaining citizens without charges, according to a report by Channel 14 News on Tuesday.
In November, Katz announced that he would be ending the practice of using administrative detention orders against Israelis, after the use of the measure soared during the term of his predecessor, Yoav Gallant.
However, since taking control of the military’s Central Command, which includes Judea and Samaria, eight months ago, Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth has used his authority as a regional commander to place dozens of Israelis under house arrest without charges or evidence, according to Channel 14.
Bluth has also used his authority to ban Israelis from Judea and Samaria for several months, forcing them to leave their homes, or prohibit them from contacting their friends in the area, according to the report.
In some cases, additional restrictions were imposed, such as in the case of Elkana Nachmani, a resident of the Or Meir outpost in the Binyamin region of Samaria, who was not only banned from his home, but was also made to sign in at a police station every day on Bluth’s order.
Right-wing activist Ariel Danino was banned from Judea and Samaria and only allowed to continue his studies at Ariel University on the condition that the institution signed off on his presence each day.
According to Channel 14, Bluth previously told Israelis whose removal from Judea and Samaria he signed off on that he trusted the intelligence provided to him by the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) department tasked with combating Jewish terrorism when he issued orders.
Earlier this week, the head of the ISA’s Jewish Department suspended himself from active duty after he was caught boasting in a recording about arresting Judea and Samaria residents without cause.
“We always want to arrest them for questioning, as many as possible,” the top officer said in the tape obtained by local media. “Look how Shin Bet interrogations are conducted with them. We arrest these jerks, even without evidence, for a few days. Put them in detention cells with the mice.”
The IDF did not respond by time of publication on Wednesday to a JNS request for comment on whether Bluth would still sign off on administrative measures in the wake of the revelations about the Jewish Department.
Katz told Channel 14 on Tuesday, “I acted within the scope of my authority as minister of defense and canceled the administrative detention orders for the residents of Judea and Samaria.
“I have stood, and continue to stand, by my policy on the matter in front of all relevant parties, and it is now clearer than ever why this position was correct and justified,” continued the Israeli defense minister.
“In cases of harm to public order, action should be taken through investigation and prosecution if there is evidence, as well as on the normative level, through leadership that denounces this,” he added.