Israel bans detaining settlers without charge, a practice used on Palestinians

The Israeli defence minister on Friday ended the use of administrative detention of settlers, a controversial practice used to hold thousands of Palestinians without charge or trial indefinitely. 

The practice has long been used primarily against Palestinians. However, some settlers involved in recent violent attacks against soldiers and Palestinians have been held in administrative detention.  

According to the Israeli Kan public broadcaster, there are currently around 3,500 Palestinians and eight settlers in administrative detention. 

The decision by minister Israel Katz was hailed by other settler government partners, including far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir.

"Important and huge news… This is a correction of many years of mistreatment, and justice for those who love the land," said Ben Gvir.

Smotrich welcomed the step for ending "long-standing discrimination against settlers," calling the use of the practice against them "draconian and undemocratic". 

The are around 700,000 Israeli settlers living in the occupied West Bank in violation of international law.