Charting a week in the West Bank with settler attacks, demolitions and roadblocks channel4.com/news/charting-a…

An 18-year-old boy is about to be imprisoned in Israel’s torture camps, even though two courts ordered his release and all suspicions against him collapsed. How is that possible? Two and a half weeks ago, Hussein, from a shepherding family in the Jordan Valley, was arrested at a checkpoint while on his way to sell cheese his mother makes from their flock’s milk. Soldiers found a small knife and a face covering in his vehicle. In interrogation, held only 3 days later, Hussein explained the knife is used to open straw bales for feeding sheep, and the covering keeps his face warm in the morning and protects from sun and flies. The court accepted his explanation, ruled he posed no meaningful risk and could not obstruct the investigation, and ordered his release on 5,000 shekels bail. Occupation forces appealed the release order. 3 days later, the appeals court rejected the appeal and again ordered his release. Bail was paid, and his lawyer began release procedures. Nothing happened. Hours later it became clear why: occupation forces held another “hearing,” brought him an unknown Palestinian Authority lawyer because “his lawyer was busy” (busy at the appeals hearing), and extended his detention by six more days in order to issue an administrative detention order. The administrative detention order was issued after 5 days. Why make such an effort to turn an 18-year-old shepherd into a political prisoner? Because Hussein’s family, like many shepherd families in the Jordan Valley, faces settler attacks and harassment, invasions of their homes, denial of grazing, denial of water, livestock theft, army violence, and repeated attempts to expel them. And they refuse to leave. We have known Hussein’s family for years and witnessed dozens of abuses against him, his father, the family, and the community. There is no mystery here: Hussein’s only “crime” is being a proud Palestinian whose family lives on land Israel wants. As of April 2026, about 3,532 Palestinians are held in Israeli torture camps under administrative detention - thousands of people who, like Hussein, are jailed without trial because Israel sees their very existence as an obstacle to the continuation of its atrocities and ethnic cleansing.