Arrest & Detention
Detention of Palestinian political leaders
Israel has long used the dention of Palestinian political leaders as a means of repressing the Palestinian struggle for self-determination. Before and during 2005 and 2006 municipal elections, Israel conducted sweeping arrest operations in the West Bank, detaining many candidates and those already elected into office -- most of them from the Islamic opposition parties. Israel was the subject of condemnation after administratively detaining a large number of ministers elected to the new Palestinian legislative council in the summer of 2006, many of whom are still in Israeli detention. (Added 13 October 2006)