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BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- Israeli authorities have issued administrative detention orders to 41 Palestinians since the beginning of April, according to a statement on Wednesday from the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS).

According to PPS, nine of the 41 orders were issued against Palestinians who were recently detained for the first time or recently re-detained.

Israel uses administrative detention almost exclusively against Palestinians. The widely condemned Israeli policy allows for a detainee to be sentenced for up to six-month renewable intervals based on undisclosed evidence.

Although Israeli authorities claim the withholding of evidence during administrative detention is essential for state security concerns, rights groups have instead claimed the policy allows Israeli authorities to hold Palestinians for an indefinite period of time without showing any evidence that could justify their detentions.

Rights groups have claimed that Israel's administrative detention policy has been used as an attempt to disrupt Palestinian political and social processes, notably targeting Palestinian politicians, activists, and journalists.

According to prisoners rights group Addameer, there were 6,050 Palestinians in Israeli prisons as of March, with 427 being held in administrative detention.