The Israeli Supreme Court, on Wednesday (December 18, 2024), rejected an appeal submitted by the Meezan Center for Human Rights – Nazareth, and Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel. The appeal demanded the cancellation of an administrative detention order issued by the Israeli Minister of Defense, Yisrael Katz, against an Arab citizen from Yafa an-Nasira for six months.

The Supreme Court rejected the appeal and upheld the extension of the administrative detention order, citing security reasons and classified evidence presented by the prosecution. The court emphasized the legality of administrative detention procedures, stating that there was no overreach or error by the Nazareth District Court, which had approved the detention order against the Arab citizen.

The court also dismissed allegations of discrimination or selective application of administrative detention orders, pointing to the lack of concrete evidence supporting these claims. Furthermore, it rejected the argument that public statements made by Defense Minister Yisrael Katz constituted evidence of discrimination, affirming the decision to extend the administrative detention.

As part of the case, a session was held on the morning of Tuesday, December 17, 2024, at the Supreme Court to review the petition submitted by attorneys Mustafa Mahameed and Omar Khamaisi from the Meezan Center, and attorney Nariman Shehadeh-Zoabi from the Adalah Center. The petition challenged the legal grounds for using administrative detention, highlighting serious violations of the detainee’s right to due process, especially given the lack of transparency and the reliance on insufficient classified evidence. Following the session, the organizations announced that they awaited the court’s decision, which was deferred to Wednesday, December 18, 2024.

Commenting on the session, attorney Nariman Shehadeh-Zoabi stated:
“We focused our arguments on constitutional challenges, emphasizing the clear discrimination in applying administrative detention laws. The Defense Minister has publicly declared his intention to apply these laws exclusively against Arab citizens while exempting settlers, which constitutes blatant racial discrimination.”

Attorney Mustafa Suhail Mahameed added:
“We based our arguments on the minister’s public statements, which clearly reflect an intentional agenda of racial discrimination. Unfortunately, the court hinted during the session that media statements do not constitute sufficient legal evidence, as if requiring additional proof that the minister implements what he publicly declares.”
Mahameed continued:
“This approach exposes a deeper crisis within the judicial system, which appears to be under severe political pressure from right-wing government ministers, raising serious concerns about the fairness of the decision.”

Regarding the case, the 33-year-old Arab citizen was arrested from his home in Yafa an-Nasira on November 18, 2024, under allegations of involvement in security violations as per Israel’s Anti-Terrorism Law. On November 25, the Nazareth District Court upheld the administrative detention order against him, despite the lack of tangible evidence supporting the charges.