Israel return ex-prisoner weeks after ending hunger strike

A prisoner rights group says Israel has released a renowned Palestinian prisoner, two weeks after striking a deal that ended his marathon 131-day hunger strike

RAMALLAH, West Bank -- Israeli authorities freed a renowned Palestinian prisoner on Sunday, two weeks after striking a release deal that ended his marathon 131-day hunger strike, said a prisoner rights group.

Kayed Fasfous, 32, had remained in an Israeli hospital since ending his strike on Nov. 23. He was the symbolic figurehead of six hunger strikers protesting Israel’s controversial policy of “administrative detention,” which allows suspects to be held indefinitely without charge.

Israel says the policy is necessary to keep dangerous suspects locked away without disclosing sensitive information that could expose valuable sources. Palestinians and rights groups say the practice denies the right of due process, allowing Israel to hold prisoners for months or even years without seeing the evidence against them. The law is rarely applied to Israelis.

The Palestinian Prisoners Club, a group representing former and current prisoners, confirmed Fasfous had returned home to the occupied West Bank through a military checkpoint near the southern city of Hebron on Sunday afternoon. Later, online footage showed the former prisoner in a wheelchair celebrating his return to his southern hometown of Dura.