Honenu Attorney Nati Rom; Photo credit: Honenu
Wednesday, December 11, 2024, 17:06 On behalf of four Jews who have been under administrative detention for several months, Honenu Attorney Nati Rom wrote a letter to Defense Minister Yisrael Katz requesting that he hold a meeting with them and consider their release. They are awaiting a decision from Lod District Court regarding the continuation of their detention. Simultaneously, other Honenu attorneys turned to the court on the detainees’ behalf requesting that the decision be delayed until Minister Katz replies. GSS officials who were present during the court hearing expressed readiness to holding meetings with the detainees for the consideration of their release. The Lod District Court accepted Honenu’s request and will postpone their decision by one week. Honenu Attorneys Nati Rom, Adi Keidar, and Moshe Poleski are representing the detainees.
Attorney Rom stated after the postponement, “We welcome the court’s decision to postpone the decision regarding the detainees. We hope that Minister Katz will agree to our request, meet with the detainees, see that they are normative individuals who were placed in detention without any evidence, and immediately release them.”
In his letter to Minister Katz, Attorney Rom stated that he has the authority to legally cancel the administrative orders at any moment: “The State Attorney’s office that represents you in proceedings at the [Lod] District Court for confirmation of administrative detention orders issued by former Minister Gallant claimed in your name that you do not intend to cancel orders and release detainees who have already been imprisoned, despite the authority granted you to do so. However, since it occurred to me that the claim may not reliably reflect your position, I found it correct to write to you directly. The law that authorizes the [Defense] Minister to issue administrative detention orders determines that ‘an order may be given without the presence of the individual on whom the detention is imposed, as has been customary in most cases.’ It is reasonable for the Minister to meet with the recipient of such an order and to evaluate the claims of the danger the detainee poses before making such a serious decision affecting the civil liberties of a citizen of the State.”
Attorney Rom entreated Minister Katz to visit the administrative detainees and consider their release: “I am of the opinion that it would be correct to hold meetings with the administrative detainees now, before the justifiability of their continued detention is considered. In the absence of such a meeting, the Minister would be forced to base his decision regarding the fundamental freedoms of Israeli citizens on information and opinions received from the GSS. In light of the public and private arguments between the political echelon and the GSS, particularly in recent days, it seems that relying on the opinions of the GSS in decisions that divide Israeli society is erroneous. With such a serious matter, direct examination by the Minister is preferable. At this time, I recommend that you inform the court of your intention to meet with the administrative detainees in the coming days to examine their case and make an informed decision as to the continuation of their remand.”
Attorney Rom issued a statement explaining the basis for releasing the detainees: “Defense Minister Katz’s decision to stop the use of administrative detention orders against Jewish Yehuda and Shomron residents is important news, and I thank him for it. However, I think that one must consider the matter not only looking forward but also in relation to the detainees currently imprisoned under orders signed by former Defense Minister Gallant. The political echelon’s lack of trust in the GSS policy as it has been intensely expressed during the past few months, in my opinion, obligates Minister Katz to directly examine the administrative detainees’ case. I am certain that a short meeting between Minister Katz and the administrative detainees will lead him to the conclusion that there are no grounds for their continued detention, and every moment that they are detained is an injustice.”