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JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- The Israeli Minister of Defense ordered six Palestinian prisoners from Jerusalem to be placed under administrative detention on Wednesday, a prisoners rights' groups said.

Head of the Jerusalem Prisoners’ Families Committee, Amjad Abu Asab, said that Israeli authorities ruled that a Palestinian detainee identified as Rami Fakhuri, as well as two minors, Muhammad Ghaith and Fadi al-Abbasi be placed under administrative detention.
Muhammad Mahmoud, alawyer from prisoner rights group Addameer, told Ma'an that three other detainees, identified as Mahmoud Eweisat, Samir Obeid and Jamal Dari were also placed in administrative detention.

Abu Asab added that nine other Palestinians from Jerusalem were put under administrative detention a few days previously.

Administrative detention is a controversial Israeli policy, under which prisoners, mainly Palestinians, are held without charge or trial for renewable six month periods, indefinitely.

The Palestinian Authority Committee for Prisoners' Affairs said last week that Israeli forces had detained more than 650 Palestinians since the beginning of October, most of them younger than 20 years old and detained during clashes in Jerusalem.

However that number may be significantly higher by now, as Israeli authorities have announced several ongoing arrest operations.

The committee said in a statement that most of the Palestinians were detained during clashes with Israeli soldiers, or subsequently in overnight raids on the pretext of resisting Israeli soldiers.

According to the statement, many Palestinians had reported being held for hours at interrogation centers, undergoing maltreatment. Some prisoners said that they were violently beaten during their detention.

Currently, at least 343 of the 5,621 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jail are held in administrative detention, according to Addameer.

Israel's routine use of administrative detention flouts international law, which stipulates that it may only be used in exceptional circumstances.