Israel rearrests former hunger striker Muhammad Allan: media report

The Israeli authorities have re-arrested Mohammed Allan, who had staged a hunger strike to protest against his detention without charge.

According to the lawyer, the renewed detention is illegal since it did not include a review of the case.

“He is starting his protest – no food, no medicine, everything”, Nader Allan told Israel’s Army Radio.

His detention without trial, scheduled to last until November 4, was suspended by Israel’s High Court on August 19 as he received medical treatment following his hunger strike, which twice left him in a coma.

Administrative detainees are allowed to appeal to the courts, but activists say the chances of having their detainment overturned are extremely slim.

Israel accuses Allan of being a member of the militant Islamic Jihad, which his lawyers deny.

The detention order had been suspended by a court ruling while he was in hospital, because of his medical condition.

Beyond debate over administrative detention, Allan’s hunger strike also raised the question of whether a controversial law passed in July allowing for the force-feeding of prisoners in certain circumstances should have been invoked.

Allaan began a hunger strike in June to protest his internment under administrative detention, which allows Israel to jail suspects without charging them. He was, however, given intravenous fluids, vitamins and nutrients as his condition deteriorated.

The Arab civil rights group Adalah, which petitioned the court on Allan’s behalf, said the new arrest was a “random and vindictive act” that had nothing to do with the evidence required to keep him in administrative detention. Nonetheless, due to his medical condition he remained in hospital, until he was discharged this morning and promptly arrested.

Mr Allan was taken back into detention on his release from hospital.

Meanwhile, the Israeli human rights center, B’Tselem stated that, “The court’s decision to suspend Allan’s administrative detention and not to repeal it affirms that Palestinians cannot seek justice from the Israeli judicial system”.

Israel’s Shin Bet security service said on Wednesday that in light of Allan’s improved health and “intelligence information”, his release would “pose a danger to the peace and security of the region”. A new administrative detention order was issued for his arrest.