Statistics on administrative detention

As of October 2008, Israel is holding about 570 Palestinians in administrative detention in facilities run by the Israel Prison Service (IPS).

The following table details the number of Palestinian residents of the Occupied Territories who were held by Israel in administrative detention at specified dates, during the years 2001-2008:

2008

2007

2006

2005

Month	IDF	IPS	Date of Statistics
Dec..	*	47	IPS: Dec. 1
Nov.	*	42	IPS: Nov. 1
Oct.	*	36	IPS: Oct. 1
Sept.	*	24	IPS: Sept. 1
Aug.	596	*	IDF: August 1
July	604	*	IDF: July 1
May	647	*	IDF: May 1
April	704	*	IDF: April 6
Jan.	848	22	IDF: January 6 IPS: January 3

Note: Since February 2005, the Prisons Service has refused to provide B'Tselem with figures on detainees and prisoners on a regular, free of charge basis, as it did previously. Since then B'Tselem had to request the information monthly, under the Law on Freedom of information.

2004

Month	IDF	IPS	Date of Statistics
Dec.	836	27	IDF: December 5 IPS: December 6
Nov.	831	27	IDF: November 1 IPS: November 2
Oct.	*	23	IPS: October 13
Sept.	760	21	IDF: September 2 IPS: September 2
Aug.	731	20	IDF: August 1 IPS: August 8
July	737	23	IDF: July 7 IPS: July 7
June	723	24	IDF: June 24 IPS: June 13
May	670	33	IDF: May 5 IPS: May 4
April	618	26	IDF: April 4 IPS: April 4
March	605	25	IDF: March 9 IPS: March 2
Feb.	606	22	IDF: February 1 IPS: February 3
Jan.	638	19	IDF: January 4 IPS: January 6

2003

2002

2001

From the beginning of the intifada (December 9, 1987) until today, thousands of Palestinians have been held in administrative detention for periods ranging from six months to several years.

The following table details the number of Palestinian residents of the Occupied Territories who were held by Israel in administrative detention on particular dates since November 1989. B'Tselem does not have summary statistics on the total number of Palestinians held in administrative detention during each year .

1. Beginning in August 2008, the figures include Palestinian prisoners who are residents of East Jerusalem. In  its figures for previous months and years, the IPS did not include these prisoners in their figures on Palestinian prisoners.
   
   
2. * = No statistics provided.
   
   
3. Over the years, nine Israeli citizens residing in settlements in the West Bank have been administratively detained for periods up to six months.
   
   
4. Between December 1999 and January 2004, Israel held Lebanese prisoners in administrative detention as hostages for potential exchanges for Israelis taken prisoner or missing from the Lebanon War. Over the years Israel released these hostages, and the last of them were released in a prisoner exchange in January 2004.