Palestinians Detained By Soldiers for Punishment and Intimidation

Illustrative. Photo: Rachel Druck, ACRI

Palestinian residents of the West Bank have increasingly been subject to detention by soldiers. They testify that they were detained by soldiers, taken to a military base, held in harsh conditions for long hours (in extreme temperatures, without being provided with food or water, without access to restrooms, and without being able to move—sometimes shackled and blindfolded). In some of the worst cases, physical violence was used against them. No notice was given to their relatives as to their whereabouts, and nothing was done to verify their identity or interrogate them in the context of any suspected crime. Instead, they were subject to hours of degradation and suffering and then dumped in an open area and left to find their own way home without identity documents or a phone. Sometimes the detention was carried out at the behest of settlers, or with their involvement. 

On January 5, 2026, ACRI, together with the Fund for Human Rights Defenders, Hamoked – Center for the Defence of the Individual, and Yesh Din – Volunteers for Human Rights, sent an appeal to senior officials in the army. In the appeal, Attorney Reut Shaer, ACRI’s Director of the Human Rights in the Territories Department argues that detaining a person, shackling and blindfolding them, taking them away from their families and homes with no notice of where they are, and holding them in harsh conditions should only be used in extreme situations when there is real and significant justification. The arbitrary and harmful use of the army’s authority to detain Palestinians contravenes the prohibition on torture and the military commander's obligations to safeguard the protected population of the territory and respect their rights. 

We requested that detailed and updated instructions be sent to make clear to soldiers that their authority to detain individuals should not be used for punishment and intimidation, the restrictions and boundaries of their authority, and the circumstances under which it is permitted to detain or arrest a Palestinian resident. The appeal also requests that a process be established to ensure reporting, documentation, and the ability to locate detainees who are taken to military bases. 

The Organizations' Appeal, January 12, 2026 (Heb)