At 75, Abu Tair Jerusalem Parliamentarian Returns to Israeli Prison After Four Decades of Detention
Mohammad Hassan Abu Tair has spent 44 years of his life in Israeli administrative detention, more time behind bars than most people spend in a career. Now 75 and suffering from multiple chronic illnesses, the former Jerusalem parliamentarian was arrested again on November 24, 2025, when Israeli forces raided his home in Bethlehem.
Israeli authorities moved quickly to impose a four-month administrative detention order against Abu Tair and transfer him to the underground Rikvit section of Ramla Prison. The facility operates under a declared state of emergency that bars access to lawyers, family members, human rights organizations, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Abu Tair was first detained in 1984 at age 23 and served eleven years. Even in his seventies, authorities have continued arresting him, holding him without charge or trial based on classified evidence he cannot see or challenge. He is one of 3,718 Palestinians currently held under such “secret evidence” orders.
His persecution has extended beyond prison walls. In 2006, after Abu Tair won a seat in the Palestinian Legislative Council elections, Israeli authorities revoked his Jerusalem residency, citing “lack of loyalty to the State of Israel.” He was forcibly expelled from the city where he had lived his entire life.
Abu Tair suffers from diabetes, hypertension, and psoriasis. He requires daily medication and regular medical monitoring. According to the Prisoners’ Media Office, his transfer to Rikvit, given his age and health, appears designed to isolate him from his base of support in Jerusalem, where he remains one of the most prominent political and religious figures.
Released prisoners have described conditions in Rikvit as systematically brutal: starvation, confiscation of bedding, prolonged shackling, and severe beatings. The Prisoners’ Media Office states that these practices are intended to kill detainees.
Abu Tair is one of nine former Palestinian parliamentarians currently held in Israeli prisons.
