The “Iron Fist,” October 1985 to January 1986

Abstract

The dominant reality for Palestinians under occupation in the last quarter of 1985 was the iron fist policy declared by the national unity government cabinet on 4 August 1985. The policy, which included the renewed use of administrative detention and deportations, appeared to be a response to extremist pressures on the government to clamp down on increased Palestinian resistance to the occupation in recent months. At the same time, the policy must be considered in light of the carefully orchestrated Peres peace initiative toward King Hussein, with its accompanying rhetoric of improving the quality of life, return of the municipalities to Arab rule, condominium arrangements, devolution, and even ''unilateral autonomy. By the end of 1985, over 125 Palestinians had been placed under six-month administrative detention orders, with the policy continuing at about the same pace into 1986. Over twenty of those administratively detained were released following appeals and reductions of their detentions by two or three months. The renewed use of this purported preventative measure, by which persons are held without charge and without access to security evidence against them, followed a three-year hiatus in the practice, which was replaced by other administrative procedures, such as town and house arrest. Not surprisingly, the reintroduction of administrative deten-