Israeli High Court Suspends Administrative Detention of Hunger Striker after MRI Shows Damage

Israel’s High Court of Justice ordered that the administrative detention of Mohammed Allaan, the Palestinian who has fasted for more than 60-days, be suspended after an MRI revealed brain damage. If the damage proves to be irreversible, the detention will be cancelled altogether. The court left open its further involvement in the case as more becomes known. Justice Eliyakim Rubinstein explained that the prisoner is not a security risk at this time because of his weakened condition as the result of the long hunger strike so he is to be treated as any prisoner needing medical attention including allowing family visits. Israeli authorities had offered to free Allaan if he was willing to leave the country for a minimum of four years, but his attorneys immediately rejected the offer.