Israeli Settler Activist's Health Rapidly Declines During Two-Week Hunger Strike in West Bank Jail

Tal Yinon Dradik, a 28-year-old Israeli settler activist held without trial under an administrative detention order, has been on a hunger strike for two weeks protesting his detention. His health is deteriorating rapidly, with reports from his brother Idan indicating he has lost seven kilograms, suffers from low blood pressure and blood sugar, and has fainted three times. Dradik remains determined to continue his protest, but his family fears irreversible damage.

Dradik was arrested after violating an administrative order requiring him to stay at his mother-in-law's home for six months, a condition his family says is unreasonable and imposed without her consent. Since his detention, Dradik has been cut off from direct contact with his family, who only receive updates through his lawyer. His wife is left alone to care for their four children, including a newborn born just weeks before his arrest, while managing their agricultural farm and livestock in the West Bank.

Dradik’s hunger strike is not only a personal protest but also a principled stand against administrative detention orders used against settlers without trial. His family and legal team are calling on authorities to either charge him formally or release him, emphasizing that holding someone without evidence or trial is unjust. His brother urged decision-makers to intervene promptly to prevent further health deterioration, warning that "a person who has not eaten for two weeks is in life-threatening danger."