The Israeli Prison Regulations provide under section 25 that visiting days in prisons shall be over the week-end, namely Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The decision to change the visiting day for Palestinian political prisoners from Friday to Wednesday thus appears to be in contravention of both the Israeli Prison Regulations and the principles of equality and non- discrimination. After the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the major Palestinian towns in the West Bank in 1995, all Palestinian political prisoners were transferred from the Occupied Territories to Israel. As a consequence, relatives who want to visit must travel to Israel from their homes in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. If the visting day is a weekday, visiting a relative in prison involves missing a whole day of work and the risk of loosing one's job.
Children visiting parents in prison on a weekday also miss school days.