More than a hundred Palestinians kept in Iisraeli prisons without being charged

More than a hundred Palestinians are kept in Israeli prisons without being charged.

The figure was cited by Israel's "Cursor" agency with reference to an officer of a human rights protection organization, Yael Stein, RIA Novosti reports.

According to Mr Stein, the current number of Palestinians kept in Israeli prisons without being charged is the highest over the past decade.

Yael Stein believes the Israeli authorities violate international norms by resorting too often to the so-called "administrative detention" based solely on suspicion of the detainee's involvement in a crime.

Prisons where Palestinians are kept are overcrowded. Daily military operations on the West Bank and Gaza Strip replenish Israeli prisons with more detainees.

All this, according to some estimates, caused a revolt of prisoners in "Ofer" prison camp west off Ramallah on Thursday evening. More than 700 Palestinians were kept in the camp on suspicion of being involved in terrorist activities or links to terrorist organizations. A lot of inmates have already been staying there for more than two years - from the very beginning of the intifada. To put down the revolt Israeli servicemen used tear gas. More than forty prisoners suffered gassing.