Family visits to Palestinian men from the West Bank held in Israeli jails are to be reduced from two to one a month from July, the International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed Wednesday.
The ICRC, which has facilitated family visits to Palestinian prisoners for decades, said the measure was being forced on it by budget cuts that have scaled back the organization’s spending on busing families to and from prisons in Israel.
It said women prisoners and minors would not be affected by the cuts, while families from Gaza would also be exempt.
Some 200 Palestinians demonstrated against the move outside ICRC headquarters in East Jerusalem on Tuesday.
The Palestinian Prisoners Club called on the ICRC to reverse its decision.
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According to Israel’s left-wing B’Tselem organization, there were some 7,000 Palestinians being held in Israeli jails at the end of April 2016, most men and most from the West Bank. The stats were based on data from the IDF and the Israel Prison Service, the group said.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
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