Likud MK Amit Halevi Opposes Administrative Orders Without Trial in Israel
Likud MK Amit Halevi has strongly criticized the use of administrative orders that restrict individuals' basic rights without a judicial process. In an interview with Channel 7, Halevi expressed his opposition after visiting Tal Yinon Dradik, who is under such restrictions and was recently hospitalized due to a low pulse. Halevi emphasized that his concern is not about the guilt or innocence of any individual, including Dradik, who is suspected of serious offenses against Palestinians, but about the principle that no citizen should be subjected to detention or sanctions without a fair trial and legal representation.
Halevi argued that in a democratic state, the government must prove any criminal accusations in court rather than imposing administrative sanctions that limit freedom of movement, employment, or residence without conviction. He stated, "I do not want to live in a society where a person in power can hold you under administrative detention or sanctions without a trial." He clarified that if there is evidence of wrongdoing, the proper course is to present it in court and, if found guilty, the individual should serve a sentence like any other criminal.
The MK extended his stance beyond the current case, asserting that all citizens, regardless of ethnicity, deserve due process unless they are enemies in a wartime context. He rejected the term "Jewish terror," insisting that violent acts by individuals in the West Bank should be investigated and prosecuted individually without labeling the entire settler population as enemies. Halevi also criticized law enforcement for demanding evidence and trials in cases involving serious crimes by others, yet resorting to administrative measures against settlers.
He recalled Defense Minister Israel Katz's announcement early in his tenure to end administrative detentions of Jewish settlers but claimed that alternative restrictive measures have since replaced them. Halevi called on Katz to complete this policy change and stop the use of administrative orders against settlers. He concluded by urging all moral individuals to oppose sanctions that infringe on citizens' freedoms without investigation, indictment, or trial.
