Israel holds female Palestinian without trial

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH (AA) – The Israeli military on Monday held a female Palestinian activist without trial for four months under a legal procedure known as administrative detention, according to an NGO.

Bushra al-Tawil, 26, was arrested last week in an Israeli raid on her home in the West Bank city of Al-Bireh.

The Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS) said al-Tawil is currently being held in Hasharon prison in northern Israel.

A defender of rights of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, al-Tawil was arrested several times by Israeli forces.

According to the same NGO, there are 42 female Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, including three held without trial.

Under Israel's "administrative detention" policy, prisoners can be held for up to one year without charge or trial.

Over 5,500 Palestinians are currently languishing in prisons located throughout Israel, according to Palestinian official figures.

*Bassel Barakat contributed to this report from Ankara