‘Egregious state of affairs’: Archbishop of Canterbury criticises Israel’s renewed detention of Palestinian Christian

The Archbishop of Canterbury has criticised the decision by an Israeli military court yesterday to renew the sentence of a Palestinian Anglican Christian from the West Bank.

25-year old Layan Nasir’s administrative detention has been extended for a further four months. She was taken at gunpoint from her parents’ home in the West Bank in the town of Birzeit in April. There was no arrest warrant or charges.

The Archbishop is calling it an “egregious state of affairs”. At the time of Nasir’s detention, he said he “deeply shocked and concerned” by the news and called for her swift release.

Renewing that call today, the Archbishop condemned Israel’s widespread use of administrative detention of Palestinians as a “deeply discriminatory” practice that “cannot be legally or morally justified.”

In a statement, he said: “I lament the decision by an Israeli military court to renew Layan Nasir’s administrative detention for a further four months.

“This young Palestinian Christian from Birzeit in the West Bank has been held in detention since 6 April on classified evidence that leaves her facing unknown allegations with no way to disapprove them – not knowing when she will be released, all the time without being charged, tried or convicted.

“This is an egregious state of affairs, as is the fact that her transfer outside the West Bank to Damon Prison is in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

“I ask the Israeli Government to look again at her case and that she be released. The widespread and routine manner in which Israel uses administrative detention of Palestinians as an instrument of Occupation is deeply discriminatory. It cannot be legally or morally justified.

“May God watch over Layan during her detention and comfort her family at this testing time.”