For the first time in six years, Israel has placed an Arab citizen under administration detention. Acting in his capacity as defense minister, Ehud Barak signed the administrative arrest order for Jhassan Athmaneh, 37, from the Nazareth area.
Athmaneh's arrest is in connection with the early October clashes between Israeli Arabs and Israeli police and security forces. On Thursday, the Nazareth District court lifted a gag order banning public notification of the administrative arrest, but it prohibited disclosure of details of the case.
Athmaneh, a married father of three, is a member of the Balad party. Balad chairman MK Azmi Bishara branded the arrest "political persecution." He added: "The resumed use of administrative arrest against citizens of the state is a dangerous, anti-democratic action."
Speaking from the Knesset rostrum, Bishara attacked Barak for sanctioning the detention of a man in the absence of an indictment, and declared that "the State of Israel cannot claim that it doesn't have political prisoners."
After learning of the Athmaneh case this week, Bishara demanded that the Knesset's Constitution, Law and Justice Committee hold an urgent meeting to discuss the administrative arrest.