Mother Urges Immediate Release of Hunger-Striking West Bank Settler Activist in Critical Condition

The mother of West Bank settler activist Tal-Yinon Dardik, who has been on a hunger strike in prison for 17 days, has issued an urgent plea for his immediate release due to severe deterioration in his health. She addressed her appeal to Defense Minister Israel Katz and Central Command Chief Major General Avi Blot, warning that her son is in real danger of death after his body temperature dropped to 34 degrees Celsius and he experienced repeated fainting spells.

Tal-Yinon Dardik was initially placed under administrative house arrest at his mother-in-law's home, a deaf widow living in a small house, a measure his mother claims is unfeasible both practically and halachically. After he appealed, a magistrate court judge ordered his release, but the police appealed to the district court. Judge Hagit Mak-Klemanovitz accepted the appeal and kept him in detention, a decision sharply criticized by his mother, who recalled the judge's 2016 decision to release a terrorist on the day of a deadly attack while keeping her son imprisoned.

Dardik's mother called on Major General Avi Blot to stop using administrative detention against settlers in Judea and Samaria and urged that any suspicions be handled through formal criminal proceedings. She also demanded that Defense Minister Israel Katz fulfill his promise from about a year ago to abolish administrative detentions, accusing him of ignoring the issue and refusing to act. She warned Katz to release her son before it is too late, emphasizing the urgent risk to his life. The legal aid organization Honenu has also requested his immediate hospitalization due to his critical condition.