BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- Israeli authorities renewed for three months the administrative detention of a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council from Bethlehem.

The decision means Khaled Tafesh will serve another three months in detention without charge after his original six-month term ends in late July, associates said.

Tafesh was first detained on Jan. 19, 2012.

Administrative detainees meanwhile are challenging Israel's policy of indefinite detention, while around 2,000 prisoners are on hunger strike to demand improved conditions in Israeli custody.

The fate of the hunger strikers has touched a raw nerve among Palestinians, with daily support rallies and political leaders warning that Israel could face new violence should any prisoner die.

Dozens of Palestinians have gone on hunger strikes in tents put up in solidarity, which has witnessed daily heavy attendance by residents and visitors from Arab and foreign countries.