Khader Adnan has been released from Israeli detention to the Palestinian Authority military liason office and has been returned to his village of Arraba at 1 am on 14 July, reports Ma’an News, following several hours being held at the Qishlah police station in Jerusalem. Adnan, 37, a baker from Arraba near Jenin and a leading political activist, was freed Sunday, 12 July, from Israeli prison after a 55-day hunger strike. He had been held under administrative detention without charge or trial since 8 July 2014.
He was rearrested in Jerusalem, where he had travelled to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque for Laylat al-Qadr. While in Jerusalem, he visited the home of imprisoned Samer, Shireen and Medhat Issawi, greeting their parents; Palestinian lawyer Jawad Boulos, and others, Ma’an reports. Ha’aretz reported at the time of his arrest on the evening of 13 July that “the Shin Bet confirmed that Adnan had been arrested, saying that he had entered Jerusalem illegally. Adnan has been transferred to the police for questioning…the defense establishment viewed this violation with severity.” However, the arrest drew immediate attention and Adnan was released in the early hours of 14 July.
In 2012, Adnan won his release from administrative detention with a 66-day hunger strike that won the support of the world and helped to reinvigorate the mass movement for the freedom of Palestinian prisoners, and in particular, drew attention to administrative detention, the Israeli occupation practice of imprisoning Palestinians without charge or trial on the basis of secret evidence for up to six month periods, repeatedly renewable. There are currently over 400 Palestinians held in administrative detention, including two, Muhammad Allan and Uday Isteiti, on hunger strike.
