From LAW's No Peace without Freedom website:

Administrative detention is a process by which an individual is imprisoned without charge or trial. It is most often used to imprison political activists, violating the spirit of Article 42 of the Fourth Geneva Convention 1949 and Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 1966.

Today there are over 500 prisoners in administrative detention in Israeli jails. This is the largest number since January 1993, with the total doubling over the last four months.

At least 130 of the detainees have been held over a year; of them, 58 have been held for over 2 years, and thirteen for over 3 years without charge or trial. Israeli law allows for 6 month periods of detention but administrative detainees often have their detention renewed on the last day of their 6 months. The longest serving administrative detainee, Ahmed Qattemesh, has been imprisoned for 4 1/2 years. In the year 1996, 140 detainees received renewal notices. There is no limit to the number of times administrative detention orders can be renewed by the Israeli security police, the Shabak.

Not one detainee has been tried or convicted or any offense; all are being held based on secret evidence withheld from the detainee and his defense attorney, preventing any meaningful process of appeal. Under Annex VII of Oslo II, the Israelis committed to release all detainees imprisoned for activities not resulting in fatalities. This has yet to be carried out.

The Israeli double standard in this situation is clear. Beginning in 1993, the Israeli rightwing opposition to the Oslo Accord mobilised hundreds of thousands of people. Eleven Israelis wre placed in administrative detention but then released after a few months. The spokesperson of this rightwing movement , Benyamin Netanyahu, now heads the Israeli government.

Adding to their violations of international standards, the Israeli government has placed regular prisoners who have completed their terms into administrative detention instead of releasing them.

Detainees are not criminals and legally they should have access to all the rights of any citizen such as freedom to continue their profession, studies and family visits. Palestinian detainees have requested telephone access and computers but these have not been provided. This is in contrast with Yigal Amir, the convicted assassin of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who has a cell with a personal computer and daily access to telephone. Many Israeli security prisoners are also granted furlow priviliges - the right to leave the prison and visit families and friends. In addition, administrative detainees are held inside Israeli territory, which is a violation of international law. This makes family visits nearly impossible and because of frequent closures and "security procedures" legal access is very difficult..

International law requires that administrative detention be used as a short term preventative measure in exceptional circumstances, instead administrative detention has become an alternative form of punishment used to evade the due process of law.