 Logo of the facility | |
  | |
| Location | Negev |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 30°53′27.44″N 34°28′31.74″E / 30.8909556°N 34.4754833°E |
| Opened | 1988 |
| Managed by | Israel Prison Service |
| State/province | Southern District |
| Country | Israel |
Ktzi'ot Prison (Hebrew: בית הסוהר קציעות, romanized: Bet HaSohar Ketziot, Arabic: سجن كتسيعوت, romanized: Sijn Katsīʿōt) is an Israeli detention facility located in the Negev desert 45 miles (72 km) south-west of Beersheba. It is Israel's largest detention facility in terms of land area, encompassing 400,000 m2 (40 hectares; 99 acres).
During the First Intifada, Ktzi'ot was the location of the largest detention camp run by the Israeli army. It held three-quarters of all Palestinians held by the army, and over half of all Palestinians detained in Israel. According to Human Rights Watch, in 1990 it held approximately one out of every 50 West Bank and Gazan males older than 16.[1] Amongst Palestinians it was known as Ansar III (Arabic: أنصار3) after a similar prison camp set up in South Lebanon by Israel during the South Lebanon conflict (1982–2000). Ktzi'ot camp was opened in March 1988 and closed in 1995. It was re-opened in 2002 during the Second Intifada.[2]
- ^ Human Rights Watch (HRW) (1991) Prison Conditions in Israel and the Occupied Territories. A Middle East Watch Report. Human Rights Watch. ISBN 1-56432-011-1. Pages 18, 64.
- ^ Cook, Catherine; Hanieh, Adam; Kay, Adah (2004). Stolen youth : the politics of Israel's detention of Palestinian children. Pluto. ISBN 0-7453-2161-5. Page 85