Israel to detain Jewish militants suspects without trial

Israel intends to detain Jewish terror suspects without trial as the Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, vowed “zero tolerance” in the wake of an arson attack that killed a Palestinian toddler, the Guardian reported.

Thousands of Israelis took to the streets over the weekend to warn against a radicalised and violent fringe growing from within the country, following the West Bank attack and stabbing of six people at a Jerusalem Gay Pride march by a suspect identified as an ultra-Orthodox Jew.

One of those stabbed in Jerusalem, Shira Banki, 16, died of her wounds on Sunday. She had been in critical condition since being stabbed in the back by a suspect, Yishai Shlissel, who carried out the attack just weeks after being released from a 10-year prison sentence for stabbing participants in the 2005 march.

Signs held at the protests read: “Hate kills” and “Homophobia and racism are the same violence”.

The Israeli defence minister, Moshe Ya’alon, said on Sunday he had instructed the Shin Bet security service, police and military to apply “administrative detention” on rightwing Jewish citizens suspected of involvement in terror attacks against Palestinians as a direct response to the firebombing in the West Bank village of Duma that left 18-month-old Ali Dawabsheh dead and critically injured his brother and parents.

Israel currently applies administrative detention solely to Palestinians and its extension to Israelis reflects the government’s frustration at the failure to track down the assailants. No suspects have been arrested in connection with Friday’s arson attack and no group has claimed responsibility.

A senior security official told Israeli Radio on Sunday “there is no choice but to treat suspects of hate crimes against Palestinians the same way as Palestinian suspects of terror”.