The majority of Palestinians being released over the last six days of truce, according to CNN were in detention indefinitely, having never been charged, tried, or given an opportunity to defend themselves. A minority of them had not even been told why they were being detained. As such, they, too, might be designated as hostages.
Israel does not use regular legal procedures for Palestinians under their control in the West Bank. Since 1967, CNN explains, Palestinians living there fall under the jurisdiction of Israel’s military court system, where judges and prosecutors are uniformed Israeli soldiers.
However, Israelis who illegally occupy parts of the West Bank are allowed regular civil legal proceedings. When CNN inquired into the arrangement, a legal adviser at the Israel Defense Forces’ International Law Department explained yesterday that the two different systems were in place because, under international law, Israel is not allowed to “export” its legal system to the West Bank.
