Protest held against Major General Nitzan Alon’s misuse of administrative orders

Wednesday, November 6, 22:06 On the evening of Wednesday, November 6, dozens demonstrated opposite IDF Central Command Major General Nitzan Alon’s home in the community of Nir Banim to protest his misuse of administrative orders. The demonstrators called on Major General Alon to immediately cancel the order against Boaz Albert who is now in remand. The demonstrators demanded that the use of controversial administrative orders be stopped. Policemen arrived at the scene of the demonstration, detained the demonstrators and impounded their cars.
“Nitzan Alon must understand that the protest against him will reach him everywhere until justice has been served and the despicable practice of administrative orders is stopped,” said one of the demonstrators. “Alon arbitrarily uses administrative orders against people even when there is no reason to believe they have committed a crime. He is not required to justify the orders at any stage and he thus prevents citizens from returning to their homes for prolonged periods of time taking them away from their families, work and homes. This is not democracy. This is a dictatorship that has been placed in the hands of a military officer who acts out of impure motivation.”
Much criticism has been leveled in the last few years at the misuse by the IDF of administrative orders. This misuse results in detainees remaining in remand for prolonged periods of time, with no grounds for remand given and under no authority other than that of the Major General of the relevant region. The precursors to these orders were ordinances which used to be issued during states of emergency. Now, use of administrative orders has become a matter of course in the regions of Yehuda and Shomron.
On August 15 Yitzhar resident Boaz Albert was Tasered (elecrtic shocked) by Yassam (Special Unit) forces while being violently removed from his home. Since September 24 Albert has been in remand and will not agree to be released even though he has been suffering abuse from Arab prisoners. He refuses because in order to be released, he would need to agree to abide by the administrative order which keeps him away from his home. He says that since he has not been accused of a crime, the order is not legitimate.
Honenu attorney Naftali Wertzberger, who is representing the demonstrators detained on the evening of Wednesday, November 6, stated that, “Nitzan Alon treats the regions of Yehuda and Shomron as if he were an overlord, not a military officer. As such he issues arbitrary administrative orders. In cases of this nature democracy is defeated twice: first when the administrative orders are given and again when citizens are not granted the right to protest.”