Mohammad Allaan, the Palestinian prisoner and reported Islamic Jihad member whose two-month hunger strike has drawn international attention, was to be temporarily released from administrative detention after a ruling by the High Court of Justice on Aug. 19.
The court order to suspend the sentence means Allaan, 31, will remain in the Israeli hospital where he is in critical condition. Allaan, an attorney, has been held by Israel without charges since November.
Hours earlier, doctors said Allaan had suffered irreversible brain damage as a result of his hunger strike. The Israeli government said it will release Allaan if his medical condition deteriorates to the point that he is permanently incapacitated. On Aug. 17, Israel offered to free him if he agreed to leave the country for four years, but his lawyer rejected the offer.
Allaan’s case spurred a law last month legalizing the force-feeding of prisoners. The Israeli Medical Association plans to challenge the law in the Supreme Court and has urged physicians not to comply. — jta