Detainees at Ofer Prison near Jerusalem<\/p>\n
The head of the Israel <\/a>Prison Service (IPS), Kobi Yaakobi, has invited a group of settlers on a so-called “safari tour” to view\u00a0Palestinian <\/a>detainees while they are\u00a0lying on the floor and handcuffed.<\/p>\n According to a report published <\/a>by the Israeli news site Shomrim, far-right Israelis from the illegal Har Homa\u00a0settlement in Jerusalem toured one of the state’s most secure prisons.<\/p>\n Chief Commissioner\u00a0Yaakobi, who regularly attends the\u00a0synagogues in the settlement, was hosting the group. The tour, the report noted, included a visit to several prisoner wings, a Torah lesson and even lunch.<\/p>\n “It is important to emphasise: Israel Prison Service facilities are not open to visits by citizens who wish to ‘be impressed’ and have strict entry procedures regarding who is allowed to enter,” the article noted.<\/p>\n The IPS has long been selective about who enters its premises, including restrictions on family and lawyer visitations as well as bans on rights groups from conducting investigations.<\/p>\n In September, prison service officials doubled down on their blanket ban<\/a> on\u00a0Red Cross visits to Palestinian detainees, insisting that their entry would pose a “national security threat”.<\/p>\n Shomrim reports that over 20 settlers were picked up from Har Homa and taken to the Nitzan Prison near Ramla, where the writer described the visit as a “safari<\/a>” tour.<\/p>\n The trip began with a visit to the criminal wings, followed by a tour of Israel’s most secure wing, where those accused of being members of Hamas\u2019 Nukhba – its elite unit – are held.<\/p>\n Israeli sources: \u201cTo satisfy a desire for revenge, the head of the Prison Service, Kobi Yaakobi, is hosting a group of leaders of one of the Jewish synagogues in the settlement of \u2018Har Homa\u2019 and allowing them to tour one of the most secret sections to view Palestinian prisoners\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/MBLsWUYqUt<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Mustafa Barghouti @Mustafa_Barghouti (@MustafaBarghou1) February 23, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n