Palestinian Security Services Waging Campaign of Politically-Motivated Arrests

Al-Haq condemns the arbitrary arrest campaign undertaken by Palestinian Security Services throughout the West Bank, in the aftermath of the recent attacks against Israeli settlers in Hebron and Ramallah claimed by the military wing of Hamas.

According to Al-Haq’s investigations, members of the Preventative Security Services and General Intelligence Services have arrested and detained at least 350 people from all West Bank governorates. The total number of persons arrested without a legitimate warrant is likely to be significantly higher. However, it is not possible to obtain an exact figure of the detainees as no record is being kept of persons detained and released within 24 hours. Hundreds of people currently remain in detention.

The arrests, which appear to have targeted solely Hamas supporters, were executed without the required arrest warrants. This practice violates Article 11 of the Palestinian Basic Law and Article 29 of the Palestinian Criminal Procedure Law 3/2001, which establish respectively the right not to be arbitrarily arrested and the prohibition of arrest or detention of individuals in the absence of an order issued by the legitimate authorities.

The sweeping and arbitrary nature of the arrests of political opponents demonstrates that these measures are fuelled by political expediency as opposed to genuine security concerns. In fact this campaign is part of a pattern of oppressive policies adopted by the Palestinian Authority to stifle political dissent and to generate a sense of intimidation within Palestinian society.

Al-Haq condemns this arbitrary use of power by the Palestinian Authority and reiterates that the rule of law and the fundamental rights of individuals must not be sacrificed on the altar of political interests.

Al-Haq calls upon the Palestinian Authority to immediately release those who have been arbitrarily arrested and to abide by the Palestinian legal provisions on arrest and detention of individuals. Additionally, it must be ensured that those responsible for ordering and executing arbitrary arrests are held accountable for their illegal conduct. Al-Haq urges civil society and the international community to strongly condemn this unlawful campaign of mass arrests and to pressure the Palestinian Authority to respect and effectively protect the rights and fundamental freedoms of the Palestinians.