Administrative detentions are legitimate

Last week, with Israelis still in shock over the deadly torching of a Palestinian home in Duma a few days earlier, Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein greenlighted using administrative detention against several right-wing Jewish extremists. Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon has since signed three orders to that effect, and more are in the pipeline. Weinstein and Ya'alon made the right call, despite the inherent contradiction of taking an anti-democratic step to protect democracy.

On a psychological level, this step resembles a protracted military campaign. Israelis and many on the world stage tend to support such steps at the time they happen, as the proper way to respond to a major breach of Israel's sovereignty or to the killing of Israelis. But the support for such campaigns tend to wither over time, both at home and abroad. The intellectuals in the left-wing Meretz party always support the military campaigns in the Gaza Strip upon their launch, but they eventually backtrack before the campaigns are over.

This is exactly the case when it comes to the administrative detention of Jewish extremists. There is unanimous support for this measure for the time being, but when the investigation stalls and things become complicated (when we reach the biblical "day of small things"), Israelis will demand the government suspend these extreme measures. This sentiment will move from the fringes to the mainstream. It is as if the Right, the Left and the ongoing Palestinian terrorism enterprise -- whose latest manifestation was evident at Sunday night's stabbing attack -- are joining forces to undermine the moral justification of the administrative detentions. If the Shin Bet security agency fails to show immediate results to prove the detentions are a success, support will rapidly fade away.

There are also those who would like to obstruct the investigation (depending on who is detained). What happens if Meir Ettinger, the Jewish extremist who was detained on Sunday, goes on a hunger strike? Will law enforcement let him die? Since health care professionals have already said they will not administer the necessary treatments on ethical grounds, will he still be force-fed? By the way, the medical establishment's position on this matter is just mind-boggling. Do we need to remind doctors that their the chief duty is to save people's lives, even when they want to die?

Terrorist groups and medical associations that view lifesaving measures as torture (not to mention the wannabee philosophers) prefer to let a man die as long as they manage to undo the administrative detention. They are blind to the fact that this measure helps save the lives of many others and protects democracy.

The government will face a tough challenge a week or two down the road. Will it buckle under the pressure -- whether because of a hunger striker or some other reason -- and cancel the administrative detentions? Will it stay the course and continue to use this measure (with moderation)? Will it have enough stamina? What lies ahead is anyone's guess.

Back in the day, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher let the hunger-striking Irish nationalists die in prison. Is Israel willing to pursue the same policy toward Palestinian prisoners and Jewish radicals? This is where the rubber meets the road. Regardless of the outcome, now that Israel has opted to go down this dangerous and unpleasant path, by using administrative detention against its citizens, it must give this measure a chance to succeed.

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