Families get green light to visit Palestinian prisoners in Israel

According to a July 17 broadcast by the Kan radio station, this week the Israel Prison Service authorized family visits for Palestinian security prisoners. The IPS said that the decision was made jointly with the National Security Council and the visits will be coordinated with the Red Cross. The allowance only applies to family members residing in West Bank areas not significantly affected by the novel coronavirus pandemic. The IPS also explained that with many emergency regulations no longer in place, the family visits are a legal right that must be upheld.

The family visits are to take place according to Health Ministry instructions including "purple badge" requirements and guidelines on social distancing, masks and sanitation that also apply to government offices, hotels and other businesses.

The visits were suspended with the outbreak of the pandemic in Israel at the beginning of March, when the International Committee of the Red Cross told Palestinian families there would be no visits on that month. The situation dragged on as the pandemic swept the country. The prisoners protested the suspension of visits, but the IPS refused to resume the visits too soon.

On April 24, a group of UN human rights experts urged Israel to release vulnerable Palestinian prisoners. They wrote, “There are currently more than 4,520 Palestinian prisoners, including 183 children, 43 women and 700 detainees with pre-existing medical conditions in Israeli jails. They remain dangerously vulnerable in the context of the current pandemic and the relative increase in the number of transmission rates in Israel.” In parallel, Hamas reportedly submitted to Israel a list of 250 prisoners for immediate release. It included mainly infirm and elderly prisoners as well as women and young people. For the moment, no deal has been made between the sides for a prisoner release or exchange.