Akiva Leibovich (23), a resident of Yitzhar near Shchem, was arrested Thursday for violating the terms of an administrative order that forbids him from stepping inside Judea and Samaria. Leibovich had been slapped with the order three weeks ago. Similar administrative orders have been handed down recently in a total of 21 cases against Jews living in Judea and Samaria. The military authorities in consultation with the Minister of Defense issue the orders without due process or any hearing before the defendant in court. Police arriving at Akiva Leibovich's home tonight to incarcerate him. Neighbors told police, "If he has committed a crime, why not prosecute him in a court of law?" General Security Service officials have explained that the 21 distanced or incarcerated Jews represent a grave threat to society at large leaving no choice but to take such grave measures. But, MK Uril Ariel has responded saying, "[The police] should investigate them, put them on trial, keep them in jail until the end of the proceedings if the court approves it, and sentence them to jail if appropriate. But no one [else] may become a judge over Israeli citizens." Akiva's family joins at least two others in the town of Yitzhar in which the husband/father has had his freedom of movement severely restricted. Some families leave their permanent homes to dwell with the husband/father wherever they can find shelter until the order expires. In the families that choose to stay put, the wife and children are left to cope on their own. Akiva Leibovich taken away to jail earlier tonight. On Tuesday, Arab terrorists managed to break into the Albert family home in Yitzhar. The father of the family, Boaz Albert, is in jail, having received an administrative order. "By the grace of G-d, his wife Irit and the children were not home at the time of the break-in," says Arieh Bramson, a neighbor. "When they arrived, Irit saw muddy footprints on the floor and realized there was an infiltrator inside the home. She ran away with the children and called for help, but by the time help arrived the terrorists had gone. Two years ago, an Arab terrorist broke into the Alberts' home, and Boaz shot him dead." Bramson says he and his neighbors are very worried about the plight of the fatherless families in Yitzhar. "The children suffer greatly from the separation, the family is hit hard financially by the arrest, and worst of all – the wife and children are exposed to great physical danger." Irving Gendelman, an attorney active in human rights causes, has sharply criticized the government's issuance of administrative orders noting that the citizen "is deprived of his very liberty although he has not been accused nor convicted of any crime." In numerous letters to government officials, Gendelman attacked the usage of the law which enables administrative orders saying that it "lends itself to a totalitarian state whereby the Government may incarcerate an individual because that individual opposes Government policies or is thought to commit a crime in the future." Gendelman further wrote: "The legality of this Law is questioned. It is a dinosaur-carryover of the British Mandatory Period whose implementation in a democratic society is bereft of human rights norms. It provides an avenue for the Government to suppress freedom of expression and dissent against governmental policies... It serves to break the spirit of the individual without recourse and concomitantly exposes his family to deprivation and loss of support." Akiva Leibovich's older brother, First Sgt. Elazar Leibovich, was killed in a terror attack near Hevron in July, 2002.
