Israel has announced its decision to release Jewish settlers who were held under administrative detention in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. This move comes in response to the government's consideration of releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners as part of the Gaza hostage-ceasefire agreement, according to the Israeli defense minister's spokesperson.
The spokesperson stated that the release of the settlers was prompted by the expected release of terrorists to the territories of Judea and Samaria (West Bank) as part of the hostage deal. Administrative detention, a controversial legal practice, is typically used by Israeli authorities to detain Palestinians in the West Bank without public charge or trial, often based on classified evidence that is not disclosed to the detainees. While rare, this practice has also been applied to settlers.
Extremist settlers have been involved in frequent anti-Palestinian violence in the West Bank, making it a significant issue in the region. The West Bank, where more than 500,000 Jewish settlers reside in settlements deemed illegal under international law, has been under Israeli military occupation since 1967 when Israel took control of the area from Jordan.
Previously, Israel's defense minister had announced the cessation of administrative detention against Jewish settlers, a decision that was welcomed by far-right Israeli ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, both of whom are settlers themselves.
