Israeli Army Invokes Administrative Actions Against Suspected Jewish Terrorists

The Israeli army, which oversees the administration of those areas acquired in the 1967 war and its property and population, has issued administrative orders against at least ten known Jewish extremists who are suspected of terrorism. The suspects, all of whom are residents of West Bank communities, are being subject to a variety of administrative orders ranging from expulsion from the West Bank to being forbidden contact with certain persons on the grounds of “illegal and violent activity endangering life and property.” Measures that fall within the realm of administrative orders are exempt from standards of probable cause that control civilian jurisprudence. Some of the orders issued over the weekend include full house arrest or being prevented from entering Jerusalem. The actions are intended to avert possible violence planned against Palestinian targets such as the fire-bombing of a West Bank home that killed two on July 31.