Prominent Settler Activist Ariel Danino Put in Administrative Detention Amid Upsurge of Violence in West Bank
Ariel Danino detained without charges by Israeli Defense Minister on account of his alleged involvement in recent attacks against Palestinians, sparking debates on increasing use of administrative detention against Jewish settlers.
- Prominent settler activist Ariel Danino has been placed under administrative detention for four months, approved by Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and the Shin Bet, following his alleged involvement in recent attacks against Palestinians.
- Danino was arrested in the illegal West Bank outpost of Kumi Ori near the Yitzhar settlement, known for extremist settlers who have reportedly been involved in dozens of attacks against Palestinians in the past decade.
- Administrative detention, usually a tool used against Palestinian terror suspects, is increasingly being applied to Jewish-Israeli terror suspects. The practice allows authorities to hold a suspect without charges when there is intelligence of their affiliation to a crime but insufficient evidence for legal charges.
- Administrative detention's use against settler extremists has grown due to their refusal to cooperate with investigations and maintain their right to silence. Additionally, police often fail to collect evidence in time following crimes against Palestinians in the West Bank.
- The move to detain Danino follows the recent killing of Palestinian Bilal Muhammed Saleh, allegedly by a settler, part of a series of increased violent settler attacks since Hamas' October 7 massacres in southern Israel.
Times of Israel 
Haaretz 
