On 4 August 1985 Minister of Defence Rabin introduced an Iron Fist policy in the West Bank, reviving the use of British Mandate era legislation to detain people without trial, demolish houses, close newspapers and institutions as well as deporting activists. The change in policy came after a sustained public campaign demanding a tougher policy following the May 1985 prisoner exchange in which 1,150 Palestinians had been released.Hiltermann, Joost R. (1991). Behind the Intifada. Labor and Women’s Movements in the Occupied Territories. Princeton University Press. . p. 114.
On 4 August 1985 Minister of Defence Rabin introduced an Iron Fist policy in the West Bank, reviving the use of British Mandate era legislation to detain people without trial, demolish houses, close newspapers and institutions as well as deporting activists. The change in policy came after a sustained public campaign demanding a tougher policy following the May 1985 prisoner exchange in which 1,150 Palestinians had been released.Hiltermann, Joost R. (1991). Behind the Intifada. Labor and Women’s Movements in the Occupied Territories Princeton University Press. . p. 114.