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Jailed Islamic Jihad leader ends more than 80-day hunger strike
Palestinian group claims Israeli authorities agreed to free Tareq Qaadan in February; IDF says military commander will decide whether to extend his arrest in coming months
Adam Rasgon is the Palestinian affairs reporter at The Times of Israel
Tareq Qaadan, a leader in the Islamic Jihad terror group, has suspended his hunger strike, which lasted close to three months, a group that advocates for Palestinian prisoners and the Israel Prisons Service said on Sunday.
Qaadan halted his 89-day hunger strike on Sunday after Israeli authorities agreed to not renew the current administrative detention order against him and reduce it from six to four months, the Prisoner’s Club claimed in a statement posted to its Facebook page, contending that he would be released in early February.
A spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces confirmed that a military court decided last week to cut the administrative detention order against Qaadan by some two months. However, he denied that authorities pledged to not renew the order against the Islamic Jihad leader, insisting an army commander would determine whether to extend it in the coming months.
Administrative detention orders allow Israel to hold certain suspects for months at a time without charges.
An Israel Prisons Service spokeswoman confirmed that Qaadan had halted his hunger strike, but claimed he did so on Thursday.
A Shin Bet security service spokesman said that Qaadan was arrested for unspecified “activities” in the Iran-backed Islamic Jihad.
The IDF spokesman accused Qaadan of “involvement in dangerous security activities,” without elaborating.
نقلا عن عائلته: الأسير طارق قعدان يعلق إضرابه عن الطعام بعد اتفاق مع الاحتلال بتخفيض أمر الإداري الحالي لـ4 أشهر بحكم جوهري غير قابل للتجديد. pic.twitter.com/LXtjA6bB9N
— المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) October 27, 2019
Qaadan, 46, is from Arraba, a village in the northern West Bank near Jenin.
He has been arrested on multiple occasions in the past, including in 2013 and 2017.
The Shin Bet spokesman also said in 2017 that Qaadan was arrested for his activities in Islamic Jihad.
“Islamic Jihad is a terrorist organization and any action within the framework of the organization is forbidden,” the spokesman said at the time.
Islamic Jihad, one of the most powerful Palestinian terror groups, has often praised Palestinians in the West Bank for carrying out stabbing and car-ramming attacks against Israelis. Its Gaza-based members have targeted Israel with rockets and shot at Israeli soldiers.
Jamil Alyan, an Islamic Jihad official responsible for prison-related matters, commended Qaadan on Sunday.
“We praise this victory that was achieved over the Israeli jailer,” he said in a statement posted on the Islamic Jihad website. “What he achieved was the fruit of his patience and courage.”
