B'Tselem: Families of Palestinian prisoners are denied visitation

One-third of the relatives of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel are barred from entering the country to visit their loved ones, the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem reported on Thursday.

The report, which focused on the conditions of Palestinian prisoners in Israel, said that children under the age of six are not allowed physical contact with their jailed fathers or brothers, according to Army Radio.

Anat Bar-Sela, the author of the report, said "the onus to facilitate the visits is placed on Israel by international law, due to the fact that Israel is the ruling power."

"These visits are regulated by the Red Cross - that means these people ride in organized transportation, escorted by police. They don't have any leeway to deviate from the visitation route. The entire issue of preventing the visits over security concerns doesn't make sense," she added.

In light of the report's findings, B'Tselem is calling upon the government to erect prisons adjacent to Palestinian cities in order to allow the prisoners sustained contact with their families.

"We believe that it is the responsibility of the state, based on international law, to transfer the Palestinian prisoners to within the West Bank, and keep them imprisoned there. This will allow the families to visit their loved ones without going through the cumbersome process of acquiring permission to enter Israel, thus making visitation a lot simpler," B'Tselem said in a statement.

	An IDF soldier talking to a Palestinian woman at the Hawara checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus on Wednesday. (AP)