The defense establishment is trying to speed up military justice while protecting the rights of the detainees, as arrests continue to soar in cases related to the Palestinian uprising.
According to a report in Davar, nearly 10,000 indictments against residents of the West Bank and Gaza Strip were submitted to military courts in the 19 months since the intifada began.
About half of the cases were tried as of last February.
Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin was quoted Sunday by Ha’aretz as saying directives circulated recently require security detainees to be told the charges against them at the time of arrest or, at latest, upon arrival at the detention center.
The directive was issued within the framework of improvements mandated by Rabin to protect individual rights, Ha’aretz said.
They apply to all matters connected with arrests, searches and other legal measures taken against Palestinians in the territories.
The newspaper said Rabin noted in a letter to Knesset Speaker Dov Shilansky that the defense establishment is considering notifying the family of detained persons of their arrest by telephone wherever possible.
In addition, efforts being made to improve the efficiency of military courts include the appointment of additional judges and the installation of computers for better control of the files.
The Davar report referred to an article in the Israel Defense Force Monthly Review by Oren Gross, an adviser in the international law branch of military advocate headquarters.
According to Gross, a total of 9,243 indictments were handed down to military courts between December 1987 and February 1989.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
