Human rights center condemns Israel’s “illegal combatant” law

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[ 17/11/2009 - 10:17 AM ]

GAZA, (PIC)-- The Mizan center for human rights has strongly condemned Monday the Israeli “illegal combatant” law that allows the IOA to arrest and detain any Palestinian citizen indefinitely even without being charged, urging the international body to reject that law.

In a statement it issued in this regard, and a copy of which was obtained by the PIC, the center condemned the Israeli court in the 1948-occupied Palestinian city of Bir Al-Sabei (Bir Sheba) for arbitrarily extending the detention of Palestinian captive Mohammed Khalil Salah Abu Jamoos, 28, after classifying him as “illegal combatant”.

Abu Jamoos, a computer engineer from the city of Khan Younis in Gaza Strip but working in the West Bank, was supposed to be released on the day the court extended his term.

According to the center, the court based its decision on the Israeli law of treating the Palestinian people in Gaza as “illegal combatants” without any legal rights, who could be arrested and detained even without evidence.

The term of another Palestinian citizen, Abdullah Ahamd Al-Amodi, 26, was also extended even after he completely served his jail term of 6 years.

According to the IOA, the law strips the Palestinian captives of their legal rights as they won’t be dealt with as prisoners of war or normal captives protected by the Geneva Third and Fourth convention respectively.

According to the law, anyone who works directly or indirectly against the security of the Zionist occupation is classified as “Illegal combatant” and gives the civil courts the full authority to arrest and detain anyone an Israeli officer likes to tag as an “illegal combatant”, and without the captive or his counsel necessary knowing what the charges are, the center pointed out.

According to Palestinian sources, the IOA applied that law on Palestinian citizens arrested during the Israeli war on Gaza last December/January.

Moreover, the center underlined that the law clearly violates the international law and denies the captives justice, and proves that the Israeli judicial system was politicized.