The recent arrest of a left-wing activist on suspicion of contact with a foreign agent raises concerns about the possible abuse of criminal proceedings. The activist was arrested at the airport and ordered held for a week, even though there was no court order barring him from leaving the country. There is a gag order on details of the allegations against him, and a court even approved a police request to prevent him from meeting with his attorney.

Denial of counsel is an extreme measure that should be used very rarely. Denying legal counsel to a detainee in effect deprives the detainee of the right to defend himself against the denial of his liberty. In combination, the gag order and the denial of counsel create a dangerous situation. The suspect is denied both the disinfecting powers of sunlight, which would enable public criticism of the arrest, and the legal counsel that could assist him.

The allegations against the activist seem to be based primarily on a television program that itself was based on recordings made by right-wing plants with a clear political objective. Although one cannot make light of the remarks by a man who said he turned people in knowing they might be tortured or killed, it isn’t clear whether this actually happened and whether anyone was turned in and tortured, let alone killed, as a result of the detainee’s actions.

Moreover, one might wonder about the sudden concern of the police, the justice minister and especially right-wing organizations for the lives of Palestinians. If the rights of the Palestinians were a priority to law enforcement, it would take firm measures to stop the acts of violence and oppression against this population by the Israel Defense Forces and the settlers. The two-facedness and hypocrisy of the authorities point to their true motives: to hound human-rights organizations and delegitimize the entire left.

Detention under the cover of darkness is another phase in the government’s attempts to crush all resistance and opposition to the occupation. It’s a shame that the courts are abetting this.