[JURIST] The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) [official website] on Sunday ordered a female Palestinian legislative council member, Khalida Jarrar, to serve a six-month detention without trial. Jarrar, member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) [party website] has been placed under Israeli administrative detention [PFLP press release], a system Israel says exists to prevent attacks by militants. Under administrative detention, individuals may be held captive for up to six months without being charged. The detention may be extended under a judge’s approval, and evidence regarding the arrest may be withheld if deemed necessary. Jarrar was arrested [AP report] from her home last week by the Israeli military for incitement and involvement in terrorist activities after she disobeyed an Israel-ordered restriction from movement in the West Bank. Some have called Jarrar’s arrest a politically-fueled act, as Jarrar was instrumental in the Palestinian Authority’s bid to formally join [JURIST report] the International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website].

The conflict between Israel and Palestine [JURIST news archive] has lasted for years and caused [BBC timeline] numerous casualties on both sides. In January the Israel Law Center filed a complaint [JURIST report] with the ICC, accusing Palestinian leaders of war crimes including torture, terrorism and civil rights violations. In December Amnesty International [advocacy website] declared that Israel’s air strikes [JURIST report] on landmark buildings in Gaza were deliberate war crimes that led to the injury of many civilians. In September the Israel Law Center asked the ICC to open an investigation [JURIST report] into war crimes allegedly committed by Hamas leader, Khaled Meshaal [BBC profile].