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Transcript of Issue no 18
Issue No: 18 6th May, 2012
1
18
Special Issue on: Palestinian Hunger Strike
Issue No: 18 6th May, 2012
2
Contents
Commentary
Palestinian prisoners are from Earth planet too ................................................................................. 4
Fact Sheet
Why Palestinian prisoners are on hunger strike ................................................................................. 6
News Tour
Palestinian prisoners subject to collective punishment as mass hunger strike continues ................. 8
Israel exerts physical and psychological pressure on prisoners to end hunger-strike ....................... 9
Palestinian prisoners’ hunger strike enters crucial period ............................................................... 10
The occupation escalates its repressive measures against the striking prisoners ........................... 12
120 new prisoners join the hunger strike ......................................................................................... 13
Hamas threatens to use all means to support striking captives ....................................................... 13
Ahrar: Detainees on hunger strike till all demands fulfilled ............................................................. 14
Israeli concerns increase as hunger strike broadens ........................................................................ 15
Israeli jailers punish Hamas hunger strikers in Negev prison ........................................................... 15
Israeli judge renews solitary confinement of Barghouthi for six months ......................................... 16
Israeli military court delays decision on two hunger strikers ........................................................... 16
Hunger striking prisoners Diab, Halahleh in grave condition ........................................................... 17
Teibi: Bilal Dhiab at risk of dying any moment ................................................................................. 18
Palestinian hunger strikers in prison clinic ....................................................................................... 19
Palestinian prisoner loses sense of hearing, vomits blood ............................................................... 20
Palestinian Weekly Report is a periodical insight into the latest developments of the
Palestinian Issue. It’s issued by The Palestinian Cultural Organization Malaysia and it
focuses on the most important news and analysis about the happenings of the
Palestinian struggle against Israeli occupation in the Holy Lands of Palestine. The
views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect PCOM's editorial policy.
Issue No: 18 6th May, 2012
3
Haneyya: Daily contacts made in support of prisoners .................................................................... 20
Arab League to discuss Palestinian prisoner hunger-strikes ............................................................ 21
Tunisian minister on hunger strike in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners ..................................... 21
Solidarity camps spring up across the West Bank ............................................................................ 22
Solidarity hunger-strikes begin in Gaza City ..................................................................................... 22
A sit-in in Lebanon in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners .............................................................. 23
Freed detainees in Turkey support captives on hunger strike ......................................................... 23
Russian activists call on UN to press occupation to fulfill prisoners' demands ................................ 24
The launch of a broad campaign in Europe to support the prisoners’ issue .................................... 24
Caricature
The battle of Empty Stomachs .......................................................................................................... 25
Issue No: 18 6th May, 2012
4
Commentary
Palestinian prisoners are from Earth planet too
By: Dr. Daud Abdullah
Given the contrasting reactions of Western
leaders to the case of the former Ukrainian
prime minister and that of the Palestinians in
Israeli jails, one may think that the latter are
from a different planet.
In Ukraine, a single politician, Yulia
Tymoshenko, has gone on hunger strike in
protest against her ill-treatment; leading
politicians and the media across the West to
scream in righteous indignation. In their
worthy efforts to end her ordeal, a growing
number of EU officials are considering a
boycott of the Euro 2012 football
championships due to begin in Kiev next
month. This is all well and good. It may be
that the outrage is based on damning evidence
that Mrs Tymoshenko has been maltreated for
political reasons.
In Palestine, meanwhile, more than 1,700
prisoners have entered their third week of
hunger strike in protest against their degrading
and inhuman treatment at the hands of their
Israeli jailers. There hasn't been a whimper of
protest from Berlin, London or Paris. Is the
silence due to ignorance? Definitely not.
Rightly or wrongly, Mrs Tymoshenko was
tried and convicted of abusing her office. In
Palestine, however, there are among the 6,000
prisoners being held by Israel some 28 elected
members of the Palestinian parliament and
three former ministers; all are being held in
"administrative detention", which means no
charges, no trials and no convictions.
Who in the West can seriously claim
ignorance of the Palestinian case? The
prisoner issue has been festering since the
signing of the Oslo accords almost two
decades ago. It remains a critical factor in the
search for a resolution of the conflict and has
been kept alive by Israel's intransigence on the
one hand and the exceptional status afforded to
the Zionist state on the other, effectively
placing it above the law. Indeed, hundreds of
Palestinians continue to languish in Israel's
prisons, even after their sentences have
expired. The only time the issue of Palestinian
prisoners appeared on the radar of Western
leaders was during their efforts to secure the
release of the captured Israeli soldier Gilad
Shalit.
Lest it be forgotten, under the Egyptian-
brokered agreement for the release of Shalit,
Israel undertook to end its practice of solitary
confinement. The practice still continues,
though, making its end one of the key
Issue No: 18 6th May, 2012
5
demands of the prisoners on hunger strike
today. Some of these individuals have been in
solitary confinement for more than 12
consecutive years; even at the best of times,
they are only allowed out of their cells for one
hour a day.
The present hunger strike is unprecedented.
Whereas in the past such strikes were isolated
and individual acts, the current protest is
widespread and well-coordinated. If this does
not merit a comment or does not stir the
consciences of Western leaders, nothing ever
will. Their silence is shameful, as is the lack of
coverage by, for example, a national
broadcaster like the BBC.
The Palestinian prisoners' demands are simple,
namely that Israel fulfils its obligations
towards the occupied people as an occupying
power, and towards those whom it holds in
detention. This entails, inter alia, granting
family and legal visits, and medical care, as
well as freedom from all forms of physical and
psychological abuse, especially the practice of
solitary confinement.
The United Nations Convention Against
Torture, which Israel has ratified, defines
torture as "any act by which severe pain or
suffering, whether physical or mental, is
intentionally inflicted on a person". Some may
claim that Israel had resolved to reject torture
completely, according to a 1999 ruling by the
country's Supreme Court. That is obviously
not the case.
Although the Court ruled, "Neither the
government nor the heads of security services
possess the authority to establish directives
and bestow authorisation regarding the use of
liberty infringing physical means during the
interrogation of suspects suspected of hostile
terrorist activities", it did leave a legal opening
which allows interrogators to claim that they
are acting out of "necessity" to save lives.
Even so, nothing justifies torture. Article 2 of
the Convention against Torture and Other
Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment states explicitly, "No exceptional
circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of
war or a threat of war, internal political
instability or any other public emergency, may
be invoked as a justification of torture."
Palestinians point out that the argument of
exceptional circumstances granted in 1999 has
since become "the necessity interrogation
procedure" to abuse prisoners.
In the end, there are two ways of explaining
Western inconsistency in the cases of
Tymoshenko and the Palestinian prisoners;
racism or exceptionalism. Either way, it is
damaging and will remain forever a dark stain
on the consciences of the silent appeasers.
There are, however, measures that can be
adopted to avoid this ignominy. For a start,
Israel should be compelled to clarify its legal
position on the status of the Palestinian
prisoners. Are they prisoners of war held by an
occupying power or common criminals?
Where there is doubt, as there appears to be,
the international Court of Justice should be
called upon to issue a ruling.
The contrasting reactions to these two distant
issues have breached all ethical standards.
Whatever security benefits that may be
proclaimed from the abuse of Palestinian
prisoners, they will be outweighed by the
damage done to the nations which are by their
silence betraying their professed values of
justice and the rule of law. Freedom from
cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or
punishment is a fundamental and absolute
right of every person, and this right may not be
violated under any circumstances, whether the
victims are Palestinian or Ukrainian.
Palestinian prisoners are from planet Earth too.
Issue No: 18 6th May, 2012
6
Fact Sheet
Why Palestinian prisoners are on hunger strike
By: Middle East Monitor (MEMO)
1.1 - The issue of Palestinian prisoners is one
of the worst consequences of the Israeli
occupation. Since 1967, over 700,000
Palestinians, 20% of the population of the
occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip have been
detained. This number represents
approximately 40% of the total male
Palestinian population in the occupied
territories.
1.2 - Today, there are about 6,000 prisoners in
17 Israeli jails and detention centres. They
include six women and more than 200 minors.
1.3 - 330 Palestinians are being held in
administrative detention with no formal
charges having been brought against them in a
court of law. 28 elected members of the
parliament, and three former ministers fall
within this category.
1.4 - Israel is currently holding all these
Palestinian prisoners far away from their
homes, and outside of the occupied territory.
This constitutes a clear violation of the Fourth
Geneva Convention relative to the Protection
of Civilian Persons in Time of War. Article 76
of the Convention states:
“Protected persons accused of offences shall
be detained in the occupied country, and if
convicted they shall serve their sentences
therein.” Article 49 also states:
“Individual or mass forcible transfers, as well
as deportations of protected persons from
occupied territory to the territory of the
Occupying Power or to that of any other
country, occupied or not, are prohibited,
regardless of their motive.”
1.5 - Article 32 specifically prohibits “murder,
torture, corporal punishments, mutilation and
… any other measures of brutality whether
applied by civilian or military agents”. Since
1967, 202 Palestinians prisoners have died
while being tortured in Israeli jails.
1.6 - Israel routinely tries Palestinians before
military courts, none of which meet the most
basic standards of international law;
particularly the laws relating to the treatment
of prisoners of war and people under
occupation.
1.7 - In light of the above, there are now calls
for the prosecution of Israeli officials at an
international tribunal.
Solitary Confinement:
2.0 - Solitary confinement is one of the
favoured methods used by Israel’s prison
authorities to penalize Palestinian prisoners.
More than 1,600 prisoners began a hunger
strike on 17 April under the slogan, ‘we will
live with dignity’. They are demanding an end
to this torment that has become part of the
vocabulary of Palestinian existence.
2.1 - Although the mass hunger strike
commenced on 17 April to mark Palestine
Prisoners’ Day, several prisoners had
previously embarked on hunger strike. Some
have now passed the 50 day mark.
2.2 - Two of the most high profile cases during
this period were Khadr Adnan and Hanan Al
Shalabi.
2.3 - Toward the end of 2011, some prisoners
went on hunger strike for about 20 days.
Through Egyptian mediation, an agreement
was reached between the prisoners’ leadership
and the Israeli authorities who undertook to
end the practice of solitary confinement.
2.4 - Soon after, Israel broke the agreement
and returned to the practice of solitary
confinement, imposing even stricter conditions
on prisoners.
Issue No: 18 6th May, 2012
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2.5 - Prisoners are confined to a tiny 1.8 by 2.7
meter cell with not enough room for them to
move or to store their personal possessions.
2.6 - Solitary confinement cells are specially
designed be an additional source of
psychological and physical pressure on
prisoners. They are cement wall structures
painted in dull colours with poor lighting, and
often have very coarse finishing. In one side of
the wall, there is usually a small opening that
barely allows in air. The cells are very damp,
which easily causes the spread of illnesses,
especially breathing problems and skin
diseases.
2.7 - Electricity supplies are routinely
disconnected and visitation from relatives and
lawyers are denied to prisoners.
2.8 - Israel uses solitary confinement as a
punitive measure against influential resistance
leaders as a way of crushing their resolve and
weakening both their morale and physical
capability.
2.9 - Prison conditions became noticeably
worse after the incumbent Netanyahu
government passed what is called the ‘Shalit
law’, prior to the release of captured Israeli
soldier, Gilad Shalit.
2.10 - Ordinarily, prisoners who are not in
solitary confinement are allowed out for one
hour each day to receive sunlight. This
statutory respite is not granted to prisoners in
solitary confinement. They are taken out
according to the mood of their jailers and that
can be at any given time. Sometimes, they are
taken out at six in the morning, even when it is
raining and very cold. And if the prisoner asks
to delay the break, they may lose the
opportunity and not be taken out at all on that
day.
2.11 - As for meals, as a rule, it is dreadfully
substandard. Hence, prisoners often depend on
purchases from the prison canteen when
possible. This adds an additional financial
burden on the individual prisoner, as well as
his relatives.
2.12 - Prisoners held in solitary confinement
are, however, denied access to canteens and
are not allowed to receive money or gifts from
relatives or other sources. They are forced to
consume what they are given and invariably
suffer from malnutrition, poor sight and blood
deficiencies. Their meals are inadequate both
in terms of quality and quantity. Indeed,
prisoners are only allowed to request water at
specific times which they find particularly
difficult in summer when they naturally
require a higher intake of liquid.
2.13 - The Israeli authorities use an
exceptionally severe form of punishment
called the ‘sunduq’ (box) where prisoners are
sent to a very small cell that is 180 cm long
and 150cm wide. It is barely enough to sleep
or pray. It contains two containers; one for
drinking water and the other to urinate. Those
unfortunate enough to be placed here are only
allowed to visit the toilet once a day. To
overcome this obstacle, prisoners try to eat just
the bare minimum in order to avoid the need.
2.14 - Prisoners in the ‘sunduq’ are not
allowed to have watches or clocks. Nor are
they allowed radios, newspapers or televisions.
They are not allowed to purchase food or any
necessity and are not even allowed to have a
pillow.
Basic demands – to live with dignity and:
administrative detention
ives being humiliated at
checkpoints while journeying to and from
visits.
Issue No: 18 6th May, 2012
8
News Tour
Palestinian prisoners subject to collective punishment as
mass hunger strike continues
As organisations dedicated to the promotion
and protection of human rights in the
Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), the
Palestinian Council of Human Rights
Organisations (PCHRO) is gravely concerned
about the series of collective and punitive
measures taken by the Israeli Prison Service
(IPS) against Palestinian political prisoners in
Israeli prisons currently engaged in a mass
hunger strike.
Also of utmost concern are the lives of Bilal
Diab and Thaer Halahleh, who today began
their 66th day of hunger strike. Both men are
in critical condition and have been denied
access to independent doctors for the majority
of their hunger strike. Thaer noted that they
have been subjected to significant pressure by
prison doctors and the prison administration to
break their hunger strike, but they are
determined to continue with the strike until
they are released. No decision was made in
today’s Israeli High Court hearing regarding
their administrative detention orders. Both
Bilal and Thaer were brought to the hearing
and attended in wheelchairs. During the
hearing, Bilal fainted and there were no
doctors present inside the court. Thaer testified
to the mistreatment he has suffered since his
arrest. Judge Amnon Rubenstein announced
that the panel of judges would make a decision
after reviewing the “secret file”, but after the
review stated that the parties would be
informed at a later time, without specifying
when.
On 17 April 2012, Palestinian prisoners held
in Israeli prisons launched a mass hunger
strike demanding an end to administrative
detention, isolation and other punitive
measures taken against Palestinian prisoners
including the denial of family and lawyer
visits, especially to prisoners from the Gaza
Strip who have been denied family visits since
2007, and access to university education. The
campaign has steadily gained momentum over
the past two weeks and an estimated 2,500
prisoners are now on an open-ended hunger
strike.
Since the beginning of the hunger strike, the
Israeli Prison Service (IPS) has collectively
punished participating prisoners using a wide
range of tactics. Most recent updates indicate
that some prisoners are being fined between
250 (€50) and 500 (€100) shekels for each day
of their hunger strike. In Naqab prison,
Issue No: 18 6th May, 2012
9
prisoners are experiencing daily inspections of
random sections, which last for approximately
40 to 50 minutes. These inspections include
cell and body searches. In addition, prisoners
are no longer permitted to leave their rooms
for the daily break period.
Many hunger strikers have been transferred to
different prisons or to special sections within
prisons, in an attempt to further isolate them
from the growing movement and the outside
world. The latest transfers include the
movement of prisoners between Megiddo
prison, Shatta prison and a special section of
Gilboa prison. At least three leaders of the
campaign have been placed in solitary
confinement in Beersheba, in addition to many
others who were placed in solitary
confinement upon the announcement of their
hunger strikes. Ninety-six hunger strikers have
been transferred to Ohalei Keidar prison,
where they have been placed two prisoners to
each solitary confinement cell.
Lawyers attempting to visit hunger striking
prisoners have also been prevented from doing
so, with prison administrations banning certain
lawyers outright, claiming visits were not
properly arranged, or declaring “situations of
emergency” right before or during scheduled
and pre-approved visits. On 29 April, a lawyer
from Addameer Prisoner Support and Human
Rights Association was told that his visit to
Ashkelon prison was not approved, even
though it had been confirmed the previous
day. Another lawyer was only allowed to visit
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
(PFLP) Secretary General Ahmad Sa’adat,
who was moved to Ramleh prison medical
center on 27 April, for a period of ten minutes
on 30 April, and was refused a visit the
following day.
Six other Palestinian prisoners remain on
extended hunger strike, including Hassan
Safadi, who today began his 60th day, and
Omar Abu Shalal, who is on his 58th day
today. Jaafar Azzedine, currently on his 43rd
day of hunger strike, reported that he is
suffering from consistent dizziness, which
caused him to injure his head last week after
fainting. These men are all being denied
access to independent doctors and lawyers,
despite their rapidly deteriorating health
conditions, as Israeli authorities continue to
violate their human rights, in particular their
right to health. /AIC
Israel exerts physical and psychological pressure on
prisoners to end hunger-strike
A human rights organization has reported that
the Israeli Prisons' Administration is
deliberately and continuously transporting
isolated prisoners on hunger-strike in
Ashkelon, from one cell to another several
times a day in order to weaken and pressure
them psychologically.
A press release by the Solidarity Foundation
for Human Rights issued on Wednesday, May
2nd, stated that the, "Ashkelon administration
breaks into the cells of the isolated prisoners at
late hours of the night on a daily basis, and
takes them to other cells without allowing
them to transfer any of their belongings.
Moreover, the Israeli ‘Alnhacon' forces (forces
responsible for storming the prisons) are
deliberately grilling meat next to the prisoners'
cells during the night, as one of the
provocative methods used against the hunger
strikers."
Ahmed Al-Betawi, a researcher at the
Foundation, explained that "representatives of
the Israeli prisons' administration have held a
series of individual meetings with the isolated
Issue No: 18 6th May, 2012
10
striking prisoners in an attempt to break the
strike through enticements to respond to their
demands... However, the strikers have rejected
their offer and demanded that they negotiate
with prisoner Mahmoud Issa, the
representative of the isolated prisoners in
Ashkelon prison."
Al-Betawi added that "there are four isolated
prisoners in Ashkelon, Ibrahim Hamed, Dirar
Abu Sissy, Bages Nakhlah and Raed Abu
Zahir. The four have been on hunger strike for
16 days now." He noted that they now only
drink water as the prison's administration
confiscated the salt they had. /MEMO
Palestinian prisoners’ hunger strike enters crucial period
02/05/2012
Updates on the Palestinian prisoners’ hunger
strike after passing the 15th day. Israel is
acting to undermine the prisoners’ struggle,
hoping thus to break Palestinian resistance.
Palestinian prisoner associations call for
urgent international solidarity and action to
end Israeli rights violations and to save the
lives of thousands of Palestinians.
Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails began
today the 15th day of an open hunger strike, a
mass protest launched on Palestinian Prisoner
Day (17 April). In the past two weeks their
struggle, called the Karama Strike (Strike of
dignity) or “Struggle of Empty Stomachs”, has
become a national issue. Marches, actions and
demonstrations are held throughout the West
Bank and Gaza Strip on a daily basis, and
Palestinian prisoners found the support of the
Palestinian people.
In every Palestinian city, residents erected a
solidarity tent and numerous relatives of
prisoners, together with ordinary Palestinians,
have begun their own hunger strike in support
of the struggle behind the bars of Israeli jails.
On Tuesday morning (1 May) demonstrators
held a protest at Ofer Prison in support of the
hunger strikers; the Israeli army responded by
launching tear gas and shooting rubber-coated
steel bullets, injuring four people.
And inside the prisons, the number of
prisoners on hunger strike continues to grow.
On 17 April the protest was started by 1,600
detainees, and today more than 2,600
Palestinian political prisoners are refusing
food. Many of them are now in critical
condition and their health situation will only
continue to decline. 14 of the hunger strikers,
included the General Secretary of the Popular
Front for the Liberation of Palestine Ahmad
Sa’adat, have been transferred to Israeli prison
hospitals.
And while the hunger strike is being
conducted by an ever increasing number of
Palestinian detainees, the Israeli Prison
Service (IPS) does not want to discuss
the prisoners’ demands, and continues to to
violate international law. The just demands of
the striking prisoners include an end of illegal
measures, such as isolation and administrative
detention (the imprisonment without charges
or trial, simply based on “secret evidence”); an
end to denial of family visits, especially for
families from the Gaza Strip who have not
been permitted prison visits for the past six
years; access to basic and university
Issue No: 18 6th May, 2012
11
education; and an end of personal searches
during which the human dignity of prisoners is
violated through invasive strip searches.
Instead of discussing the prisoner demands,
the IPS is attempting to break the hunger strike
and the protest. To undermine the Palestinian
campaign, Israeli authorities are employing
brutal methods and collective punishment
against prisoners involved in the struggle.
These include attacks and aggressions against
Palestinian detainees; confiscation of their
personal belongings; forced transfers from one
prison to another or from one prison section to
another; denial of attorney visits; and
placement in individual isolation.
Meanwhile, eight Palestinian prisoners – five
of them in administrative detection – have
been on hunger strike for more than two
months. Thaer Halahlah, from Hebron, and
Bilal Diab, from Jenin, today entered their
63rd day of hunger strike and they are
confined to a prison hospital because of their
rapidly deteriorating r health conditions.
Hassan Safadi is on his 58th day of strike,
Mohammad Al-Taj on his 48th day (according
to the Prisoners’ Club his health situation is
extremely serious) and Mahmoud Sarsak on
his 40th day without food.
And while more and more Palestinian
prisoners are joining the hunger strike, Israel is
constantly increasing the number of
Palestinians detained. Last night the Israeli
army arrested 23 Palestinians during military
raids throughout the West Bank while the
night before it arrested 15 people, mainly in
the Hebron and Jenin districts.
Local and international action is now urgent to
support the struggle of Palestinian prisoners
and to stop the ongoing violation of
international law by Israeli authorities. The
conditions in which the prisoners are living
inside Israeli jails and the fact that Palestinian
detainees are imprisoned not inside the
occupied Palestinian territory, but inside of
1948 Palestine are clear violations of the
Fourth Geneva Convention and of
international humanitarian and human rights
law.
The Palestinian prisoners’ associations are
accordingly calling on the local and
international publics to support the hunger
strike and to highlight the cruel and brutal
Israeli policies against the Palestinian people.
At the moment, more than 4.600 Palestinians
are held in Israeli jails, 350 of them in
administrative detention (without trial or
charges). 250 prisoners are children, under the
age of 18, and their number since 2000 is
increasing and increasing.
“In the struggle for the liberation of
Palestine,” Abu Kabbara, a former Palestinian
prisoner, said, “the prisoners’ movement had
and still has a fundamental role. Inside the
cells, political generations were born through a
new awareness”.
Indeed, the prisoners’ struggle is again
reaching the national level, through the
support and solidarity throughout the
Occupied Palestinian Territory. This is the
reason why prisoners are the main target of
Israel: undermining the prisoners’ movement
means destroying the Palestinian resistance.
Yet the ongoing hunger strike inside Israeli
jails and the response of Palestinian civil
society outside the prisons demonstrate that
Palestinian resistance is alive and strong. And
Israel will not have an easy time facing this
struggle of the Palestinian people. /AIC
Issue No: 18 6th May, 2012
12
The occupation escalates its repressive measures against the
striking prisoners
Tadamun International for Human Rights said
that the Israeli occupation Prison Service
transferred deliberately the isolated hunger
striking prisoners in Ashkelon solitary
confinement from one cell to another several
times a day in order to tire them physically as
well as psychologically.
According to Ahmed Betawi the researcher at
the Solidarity Foundation, Ashkelon’s prison
administration breaks into cells of isolated
striking prisoners daily at late hours and
transfers them to other cells without allowing
them to take their belongings, in addition to
many other provocative methods against them.
Betawi also revealed that representatives of
the Zionist prison administration held
meetings with isolated striking prisoners each
alone to negotiate the end of the strike which
was rejected by the prisoners who maintained
that negotiations can only be held with the
prisoner Mahmoud Issa, the representative of
the isolated prisoners in Ashkelon.
The isolated prisoner Ibrahim Hamid said that
even though the prisoners’ battle against the
occupation practices is hard, the captives’
determination and will are strong. He
demanded the Palestinian people, the leaders
in 1948-occupied territories and all those in
solidarity with the prisoners’ issue, especially
the students’ movement, to join all their efforts
and participate in all events and activities in
support of the prisoners as the massive
marches.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Prisoners, Dr.
Attallah Abu Subah, called during a press
conference on Wednesday for a massive
popular Intifada in response to the
occupation’s escalating violations against the
prisoners. He called all the resistance factions
to capture occupation soldiers and resist the
enemy, who is practicing murder, terrorism
and abuse.
He pointed out that thousands of prisoners
have been striking for the 16th day and that
some others, such as Bilal Diab and Thaer
Halahla have been striking for more than 65
days.
Therefore, he denounced the world and
Security Council’s suspicious silence and
stressed that all human rights organizations
and all Arab peoples must intervene urgently.
/PIC
Issue No: 18 6th May, 2012
13
120 new prisoners join the hunger strike
Fuad Al-Khafsh, the director of Ahrar center
for prisoners’ studies and human rights, has
said that 120 new prisoners joined on
Thursday the massive hunger strike launched
by Palestinians in Israeli occupation jails. He
told the PIC that the prisoners, all in Ofer jail,
were 50 from Hamas, 40 from the popular
front, and 30 from Fatah, adding that the
Israeli prison service immediately transferred
them to isolation ward 19 in the same prison.
Khafsh said that the prison administration
confiscated all prisoners’ belongings including
electric appliances, clothes, and even salt and
left them only one set of clothes.
He quoted prisoners as saying that the prison
administration provocatively searches their
cells using police dogs at any time and on
daily basis. Meanwhile, a young Palestinian
woman in Gaza was taken to hospital on
Wednesday after ten days of solidarity hunger
strike with those prisoners.
A spokesman for the Waed society for
prisoners said that Amal Sebaitan was taken to
hospital after fainting at the solidarity sit-in
tent in downtown Gaza. /PIC
Hamas threatens to use all means to support striking
captives
Member of Hamas’ political bureau Dr. Khalil Al-Hayya has called for the escalation of efforts supporting the prisoners’ issue using all means: the media, the law, and resistance.
During the Friday sermon delivered by Hayya at a solidarity sit-in tent in Gaza, he stressed
the need to rally all popular, factional, media, and legal efforts and energies to support this humanitarian issue in parallel with the activation of the role of human rights institutions.
Hayya called for internationalizing the prisoners’ issue through the media. He also urged the Palestinian factions to benefit from their relations with different political parties and countries and urged the PA and its embassies to activate the captives’ issue.
Furthermore, he called on the prisoners to uphold their unity and to beware of the Israeli occupation’s attempts to break their unity and their strike, and demanded the Arab and Islamic countries especially Egypt to stand alongside the prisoners. He also warned that the hunger strike can lead to the death of some of the hunger strikers. Meanwhile, Israeli police forces arrested on Thursday a number of demonstrators in front of Ramla prison after
Issue No: 18 6th May, 2012
14
beating them during a demonstration organized by youth groups and activists in 1948 occupied Palestine in support of hunger striking Palestinian prisoners, which brought the number of detainees at Ramla prison to 20.
Arab member of the Israeli Knesset Jamal Zahalka told the demonstrators, "It is expected that thousands of other prisoners will join the hunger strike in the coming days.”
He also emphasized the four key demands of the prisoners represented in ending administrative detention, allowing family visits, ending the solitary confinement, and canceling Shalit law.
Zahalka added, "We have started a campaign of daily activities supporting the prisoners in their battle, through sit-in tents, rallies, and demonstrations. /PIC
Ahrar: Detainees on hunger strike till all demands fulfilled
Al-Ahrar center for prisoners' studies and
human rights said the Palestinian prisoners in
Israeli jails are determined not to end their
hunger strike until all their demands are met.
Commenting on Israeli claims that officials
from the Israeli prison authority met with
senior prisoners, director of the center Fouad
Al-Khafsh said the meeting happened with
prisoners not representing the hunger strikers
and was aimed to prevent more prisoners from
joining the hunger strike.
Khafsh also denied Israeli claims saying that
the hunger strikers want more TV channels
displaying songs and movies in order to end
their strike, and said the Israeli prison
authority is making a mockery of the prisoners'
just demands. He noted that more prisoners
join the hunger strike everyday and their
number so far exceeded 3,000 despite the
Israeli attempts to dismantle their protest step
through separating them from each other and
transferring them to other sections or jails.
The Palestinian center for defending detainees
also asserted that the number of hunger
strikers in Israeli jails is on the rise. It said the
Israeli jailers relentlessly used many ways to
force the hunger strikers to break their strike
including cooking near their cells to make
them smell the aroma of food.
For its part, Wa'ed society for detainees and
ex-detainees warned of dealing with the news
claiming that the hunger strikers would mull
over the prison authority's response to their
demands. Representative of the hunger strikers
Tawfiq Abu Naim told Wa'ed society that the
Israeli response to the demands was not worth
studying and was an attempt to circumvent
them.
Abu Naim affirmed that the committee
representing the hunger strikers, that was
formed by different Palestinian factions, has
the sole right to make a decision regarding the
strike. /PIC
Issue No: 18 6th May, 2012
15
Israeli concerns increase as hunger strike broadens
The Ahrar Center for Prisoners Studies and
Human Rights has confirmed that the prison
service resorted to a new way to discourage
and intimidate prisoners against going on
hunger strike.
Fouad Khuffash, the director of the Al-Ahrar
Center, affirmed that the prison service
distributed to the strikers medical bulletins in
Arabic, warning them from the negative
consequences of the strike on their health, in
an attempt to intimidate the prisoners.
He added that the prisoners did not show any
interest to these bulletins where they collect
them and throw them out of their rooms,
saying to the prison administration "we will
continue to strike until our demands are met".
He noted that the prison service is extremely
disturbed by the strike, trying to end it by any
way as soon as possible before it expands
more. He said that prisoners are determined to
continue the strike.
Meanwhile, the director of The Prisoners
Studies Centre, Raafat Hamdouna, said in a
statement that the prisoners' strike became a
political and security issue to the Israeli
occupation government. Despite the huge
urgent political issues especially the early
election, the Israeli PM is following up the
strike issue with deep concern.
Hamouda stated that there is an unprecedented
Israeli occupation political offensive towards
the Palestinian prisoners, where many
occupation ministers called for enacting laws
to crack down on prisoners.
The released detainee Hamdouna called on the
Palestinian, Arab, and Islamist organizations,
human rights institutions and media to work
for the prisoners release and to press on the
occupation and decision makers in EU to
intervene to end the prisoners' suffering.
About 2000 Palestinian captives in occupation
jails went on hunger strike since 17 April to
protest their incarceration conditions, the
policy of solitary confinement for years on end
against some prisoners and administrative
detention without charge or trial. /PIC
Israeli jailers punish Hamas hunger strikers in Negev prison
Hamas prisoners in Negev jail said the Israeli
jailers isolated six hunger strikers in solitary
cells as a punitive measure. In a leaked letter
sent to the Palestinian information center
(PIC) on Saturday, the hunger strikers said the
administration of Negev jail confiscated all
belongings of all hunger strikers, including
their clothes and drinking utensils, and locked
up six of them in isolation cells at the pretext
Issue No: 18 6th May, 2012
16
of finding a small amount of salt in their
possession.
The letter noted that the hunger strikers were
stripped naked in search for hidden salt. The
jailers also closed section 9 and prevented
Hamas administrative detainees from taking
their usual break in the yard and threatened all
other prisoners with punitive measures if any
salt was found, with no regard to the bad
medical conditions of some prisoners.
"We have only two options, either to get back
our rights and live in dignity inside the walls
of jails until our liberation comes or to die and
become martyrs in the hope that [such Israeli]
crime can wake up the world," the letter read.
/PIC
Israeli judge renews solitary confinement of Barghouthi for
six months
An Israeli military court in occupied Jerusalem
on Wednesday extended the solitary
confinement of Hamas leader Abdullah Al-
Barghouthi for six months.
Director of Ahrar center for prisoners’ studies
and human rights Fuad Al-Khafsh quoted
Barghouthi’s lawyer Abeer Bakr as saying that
her client appeared in court in high morale
despite his weakness after three weeks of
hunger strike demanding an end to his
isolation.
He told the PIC that the judge refused to listen
to Barghouthi and said that according to what
was available of information for her, she could
not but extend his isolation.
The lawyer said that Barghouthi appeared in
pale face and apparent physical exhaustion but
was adamant on persisting in his hunger strike
until end of his and his comrades’ isolation.
Barghouthi hailed the Palestinian people’s
support for him and called for bigger media
attention to the Palestinian prisoners’ massive
hunger strike. /PIC
Israeli military court delays decision on two hunger strikers
The Israeli military court in Ofer has delayed
ruling on the appeal for the release of hunger
strikers Thaer Halahle and Bilal Dhiab until
further notice.
Lawyer Ahmed Safiya told the PIC from the
court room on Thursday that Dhiab fainted in
the court room and the judge ordered an
immediate checkup on his condition.
Issue No: 18 6th May, 2012
17
The court hearing was the last attempt to
secure release of both Halahle and Dhiab, who
have been on hunger strike for 66 days and
whose health condition seriously worsened
over the past few days.
Halahle’s brother earlier Thursday told Quds
Press that the family home turned into a sit-in
rally where many inhabitants of their village
and solidarity activists met on the same time
of the court hearing.
He said that his brother refused an offer by the
Israeli occupation authority to release him on
condition that he would be deported to Gaza if
he ended his hunger strike but he refused,
affirming that he would leave the prison only
to his home.
Both, Halahle and Dhiab, are held in
administrative custody without any charge
leveled against them.
Meanwhile, the Ahrar center for prisoners’
studies and human rights said that the Israeli
prison service was denying hunger striking
prisoners medical care.
The center’s director, Fuad Al-Khafsh, said
that the IPS imposed fines on all striking
prisoners, deprived them of family visits for
one month and of sending message to their
relatives for a similar period.
Khafsh urged the media to expose the IPS
cruel measures against the Palestinian
prisoners who have been on hunger strike for
17 days. /PIC
Hunger striking prisoners Diab, Halahleh in grave condition
An independent doctor from Physicians for
Human Rights-Israel (PHR-Israel) determined
yesterday, 30 April, that Bilal is at immediate
risk of death and that both he and Thaer must
be transferred immediately to a civilian
hospital in order to receive adequate medical
attention. Yesterday’s visit by PHR-Israel was
only the second visit from an independent
doctor since the beginning of their hunger
strikes, and only came following a legal
petition filed in an Israeli District Court for the
Israeli Prison Service (IPS) to allow access to
Bilal and Thaer in Ramleh prison medical
center. Any subsequent visit may still require
going back to court.
According to PHR-Israel, “both detainees
suffer from acute muscle weakness in their
limbs, which prevents them from standing.
They both are in need of full assistance in
daily activities such as showering, though such
help is not provided in the IPS clinic. They
both suffer from an acute decrease in muscle
tone and are bedridden, which puts them under
dual threat: muscle atrophy and
Thromobophilia, which can lead to a fatal
blood clot.”
Furthermore, the PHR-Israel doctor noted that
Bilal’s life-threatening condition includes
sharp weight loss, concern for peripheral nerve
damage, extremely low pulse (39 beats per
minute) and blood pressure, severe
dehydration, and possible internal bleeding.
The doctor stated that Bilal should be
transferred to a hospital immediately and
receive full monitoring of his heart. Following
the doctor visit, Bilal was transferred to a
civilian hospital, only to be transferred back to
Ramleh prison a few hours later. After
collapsing this afternoon, he was transferred
again to Assaf Harofeh hospital, where he
currently remains. These frequent transfers
only serve to further endanger his fragile
condition.
The doctor noted that Thaer is also in grave
condition and suffers from sharp weight loss
Issue No: 18 6th May, 2012
18
and pain on the left side of his upper back,
which, according to PHR-Israel, coupled with
his other symptoms “may indicate
inflammation of the pleura [membrane around
the lungs] or even a blood clot, which can be
lethal without proper medical attention.”
Therefore, the doctor concluded that Thaer
must be transferred to a civilian hospital as he
urgently requires a CT scan of his lungs,
which is not provided at the IPS medical
center.
Addameer’s fears that Bilal and Thaer’s
serious medical condition has been met with
inadequate and harmful responses by the IPS
in the Ramleh prison medical center have been
confirmed by yesterday’s doctor visit. In
addition to the reckless transfers back and
forth to the hospital for Bilal, both Thaer and
Bilal reported that prison guards had recently
entered their cells and carried out violent
searches. Thaer also reported being abused by
an IPS doctor two days prior.
Moreover, Bilal and Thaer’s lawyer Jamil Al-
Khatib attempted to visit Bilal this afternoon
in the hospital and was refused by the IPS. He
was told he had to submit a “special request”
to the legal advisors of the IPS. Bilal and
Thaer’s petitions to the Israeli High Court
against their administrative detention orders
will be heard on 3 May. A request for family
visits to Bilal was also rejected today by the
IPS, who stated that he was officially being
denied family visits from 9 February to 9 July
for “violating an IPS order” by being on
hunger strike. The IPS continues to employ
every obstacle at its disposal in preventing
access for lawyers and doctors to hunger
striking prisoners. These tactics are designed
to isolate the hunger strikers as much as
possible from trusted sources of support and
medical information, in complete disregard to
their most urgent condition.
Addameer condemns the IPS’ blatant violation
of medical ethics in its treatment of Bilal,
Thaer, and all the other hunger strikers
requiring medical attention, and holds the
Occupation responsible for their current
condition. Addameer calls on the international
community to demand that both Bilal and
Thaer be immediately admitted to civilian
hospitals, without further transfers, and that
they have unconditional access to independent
doctors and their lawyers. Addameer urges the
European Union, the United Nations and the
International Committee of the Red Cross to
take immediate action and intervene with
Israel in the strongest manner possible to save
Bilal and Thaer’s lives before it is too late.
/AIC
Teibi: Bilal Dhiab at risk of dying any moment
Arab member of the Israeli Knesset, Ahmad
al-Tebi, on Thursday said: “captive Bilal
Dhiab is facing real death, he has reached a
stage where he should be released immediately
and transferred to a specialised hospital to
have comprehensive medical care."
Teibi who was allowed into the court room on
Thursday said that the Israeli prison service
brought the two captives, Dhiab and Halahleh
(who have been on hunger strike for over two
months) without any doctors.
He also said that after examining Dhiab, he
found that his tempreture was 35 degrees and
his pulse rate is only 48 BPM.
Dhiab, who has been on hunger strike for 67
days to protest his administrative detention,
fainted in the court room. The military court
Issue No: 18 6th May, 2012
19
postponed passing a ruling on the appeal for
the release of the two captives who are
administratively detained without any charges.
The IOF barred journalists from taking
photographs of two frail captives. /PIC
Palestinian hunger strikers in prison clinic
Ten Palestinian prisoners participating in a
mass hunger strike in Israeli jails have been
placed under medical supervision as
their conditions worsen, officials said.
A spokeswoman for Israel's prison service said
on Saturday that the 10 were transferred to a
prison clinic for medical supervision.
But Sivan Weizeman, the spokeswoman, did
not say when they were transferred or what
medical treatment they were currently
receiving.
Sahar Francis of Addameer, a Palestinian
prisoner rights group, said the men were
moved at different times last week.
She said the prisoners under
medical supervision were those who had been
on hunger strike the longest.
The men are among hundreds of Palestinian
prisoners on hunger strike to demand better
conditions and an end to detention without
trial in one of the biggest prison protests in
years.
At least 1,550 are taking part, although
activists have said the figure is as high as
2,500 out of 4,600 Palestinians held in Israeli
prisons.
Most of those participating began refusing
food 19 days ago, but a smaller core have
been striking for periods ranging from 40 to
almost 70 days.
Another prisoner, Bilal Diab, who refused
food for 68 days, was moved to a civilian
hospital last week.
An independent doctor with Physicians for
Human Rights-Israel said last week that
Bilal was at immediate risk of death.
Addameer reported earlier this week that
according to PHR-Israel, both Bilal and
another prisoner, Thaer Halahleh, were
suffering "acute muscle weakness" which
prevented them from standing.
Sami Hermez, an academic who specialises in
non-violent resistance, told Al Jazeera that
both Bilal and Thaer had not eaten for 68
days, adding that "we're getting to the critical
point where prisoners may start dying and
facing extreme conditions".
"[Non-violent struggle] is very effective ...
hunger strikes have been used throughout the
centuries to pressure governments, regimes,
and occupying forces," he said.
On Thursday, WAFA, the Palestinian News
and Information Agency, reported that the
Israeli high court had postponed a ruling on
the appeals by both prisoners for release.
Family photos The prisoners' principal demands are a halt to
imprisonment without charge for periods
ranging from months to years, in a system
known as "administrative detention".
They are also demanding an end to solitary
confinement, and reinstating family visits from
Gaza, an enclave run by the Palestinian group
Hamas.
Other demands include being allowed to take a
photo with their families once a year, instead
of just once during their prison term.
Israeli officials say they use administrative
detention to hold Palestinians who pose an
immediate threat to the country's security.
They say they keep the evidence secret from
lawyers and the accused, because it
Issue No: 18 6th May, 2012
20
would expose their intelligence-gathering
networks if it was released.
The prisoners' conditions is one of the most
emotive issues for Palestinians, many of whom
have had a loved one behind bars at some
point.
Leading members of Hamas have warned
Israel of consequences if any prisoners die
while on hunger strike.
The latest wave of hunger strikes appears
inspired by protests carried out by Palestinian
prisoners Khader Adnan and Hana Shalabi
earlier this year.
Adnan refused food for 66 days to demand an
end to his incarceration without trial, while
Shalabi refused food for 43 days.
Israel claimed both Adnan and Shalabi
belonged to Islamic Jihad. Both were held in
administrative detention though neither were
ever charged with a crime. /Aljazeera
Palestinian prisoner loses sense of hearing, vomits blood
Ratib Al-Deek, a Palestinian prisoner from
Salfit province, has lost his sense of hearing
and was vomiting blood after taking Israeli-
prescribed medication, the Palestinian
prisoner’s association said on Wednesday.
The association said in a press release, quoting
family of the prisoner, that Deek complained
of pain in his ear and the Israeli doctor in the
Megiddo clinic gave him ear drops after which
he lost his sense of hearing.
It said that the prisoner was taken out of his
prison cell with both his hand and feet
handcuffed to see his relatives, who saw him
in a very bad health and psychological
condition.
Deek told his relatives that he was also having
very poor eyesight after the prison doctor gave
him eye drops when he complained of pain in
his eyes. He added that he also suffered acute
stomach ache after that medicine and was
constantly vomiting blood since taking it.
The association quoted the family as appealing
to human rights groups to urgently intervene to
save their son and to treat his diseases. /PIC
Haneyya: Daily contacts made in support of prisoners
Gaza premier Ismail Haneyya has said that his
government was making daily contacts with
Arab and international officials to pressure
Israel into releasing Palestinian prisoners and
responding to their just demands.
He told reporters after attending the Friday
congregation at the solidarity sit-in tent in
Gaza city that he conveyed a message from
leadership of the hunger striking prisoners to
Turkish premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan a
couple of days ago.
Haneyya expected the Arab League to hold an
emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss the
issue of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli
occupation jails. He hoped that the League
would adopt decisions that would not remain
“ink on paper”.
Issue No: 18 6th May, 2012
21
Arab League to discuss Palestinian prisoner hunger-strikes
The permanent Palestinian representative to
the Arab League and Palestinian ambassador
to Egypt, Barakat El-Farra, has announced a
decision by the Arab League to hold an
emergency council meeting at Palestine's
request. The meeting, which will be attended
by permanent representatives, is to take place
at the League's headquarters on May 6 and
will discuss means of supporting Palestinian
prisoners on hunger-strike in Israeli prisons.
El-Farra explained that this meeting "aims to
shed light on the issue of prisoners and to
discredit Israeli policies based on inhumane
practices against them."
In a press conference held on Thursday, May
3, El- Farra confirmed that the Ramallah
government's foreign affairs minister, Riyad
Al-Malki, would be attending the meeting.
The ambassador called on the Arab Group in
New York to file a petition with the UN
General Assembly with regard to adopting a
resolution that requests an advisory opinion
from the International Court of Justice
regarding the legal status of Palestinian and
Arab prisoners in Israeli prisons. The opinion
would be in accordance with the relevant
provisions of international law taking into
consideration that they are prisoners of war
with legitimate rights to resist the occupation.
He also requested that the "necessary contacts
with countries that support the Palestinian
Cause" be made in order to facilitate the
adoption of such an advisory opinion. /MEMO
Tunisian minister on hunger strike in solidarity with
Palestinian prisoners
Dr. Moncef Ben Salem, Minister of Higher
Education in Tunisia, confirmed that he will
join “We go hungry for a day, we support
freedom fighters" campaign in solidarity with
the Palestinian prisoners, praying for their
victory and release.
This step is in support of the Palestinian
prisoners who need our support as our prophet
ordered us to be in solidarity with our brothers.
The Tunisian minister said in a recorded
statement on social networking sites. We know
indeed the prisoners' suffering as we were
prisoners before the Tunisian revolution, he
added.
He called on the Arab and Muslim nation to
support the prisoners who spent decades in
occupation prisons including members and
head of the Legislative Council.
Meanwhile, the Tunisian delegation visiting
Gaza called on the Arab and Muslim countries
to support the prisoners' issue, to stand behind
them in their suffering, and to press the
occupation to fulfill their demands.
The head of the Tunisian delegation, Anwar
Awlad Ali, said, in a press conference held on
Thursday afternoon in a solidarity tent with the
Issue No: 18 6th May, 2012
22
prisoners, that the delegation includes two
groups, one medical to offer medical aid while
the other is a juristic group who will raise
cases against the occupation crimes against the
Palestinian people.
The Tunisian delegation that arrived to Gaza
Wednesday evening through the Rafah
crossing praised the prisoners' strike, calling
them to remain steadfast and to be patient until
their demands are met. They also conveyed the
Tunisian people’s revolutionary greetings to
the Palestinian people.
Solidarity camps spring up across the West Bank
Solidarity activities for the hunger strike
prisoners have gathered pace with the
establishment of camps in cities across the
occupied West Bank.
Several prisoners have now passed 60 days on
hunger strike in protest against the policies of
the Israeli prison authorities, particularly that
of solitary confinement.
The camps are frequented around the clock by
relatives and leading national figures of all
political persuasion. Observers point out that
the prisoner issue has united Palestinians in the
West Bank in manner not witnessed for many
years.
In a new development, a number of relatives,
including mothers, have also begun hunger
strikes in solidarity with their sons. /MEMO
Solidarity hunger-strikes begin in Gaza City
50 Palestinian activists, including many
former prisoners of Israel, have begun a
hunger-strike in solidarity with hunger-striking
Palestinian prisoners currently being held
inside Israeli prisons. The Prisoners' Hunger-
Strike began 15 days ago in protest against
Israeli violations of prisoners' rights.
A solidarity tent has been set up in the centre
of Gaza's Unknown Soldier Square for the
solidarity strikers who have confirmed their
intention to remain in the tent and continue
their open-ended strike for as long as the
prisoners' hunger-strike continues.
Many Palestinian organisations, governmental
bodies and politicians have confirmed their
support for the solidarity hunger-strikers
through various press conferences.
Representatives from the leadership of the
Palestinian police, the lawyers union, doctors
from the ministry of health, and journalists
have affirmed their determination to pursue
the prisoner issue within the media. /MEMO
Issue No: 18 6th May, 2012
23
A sit-in in Lebanon in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners
Hundreds of Lebanese citizens and
representatives of political bodies and parties,
factions and Lebanese and Palestinian NGOs
gathered on Thursday in front of the
headquarters of the International Red Cross in
Tyre, southern Lebanon, in the framework of
the monthly supporting sit-in (referred to as
the prisoners’ Thursday) hosted by the
National Committee for the Defense of
prisoners and detainees in the occupation jails.
The coordinator of prisoners’ Thursday,
Yahya Malam, praised the Palestinian
prisoners in occupation jails, and said that they
are the heroes of the Arab nation, in their
battle of the empty stomachs.
He also stressed that the national and popular
forces and the entire Arab world have to
benefit from the prisoners’ unity in the prisons
to achieve unity amongst their supporters
abroad.
Meanwhile, a number of spokesmen have
unanimously agreed that the sit-ins represent a
cry in the face of the unprecedented Arab and
international silence -regarding the prisoners’
suffering in the cells of the Zionist occupation-
and that they reflect the support for the
captives’ steadfastness during their battle.
Furthermore, they called for a broad campaign
in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners and
their battle, and called on all Arab parties and
forces to stand alongside them till achieving
their just demands, in addition to calling on the
international community to activate the
resolutions and international treaties,
particularly the Geneva Convention signed by
the UN after World War II, which is
concerned with prisoners of war. /PIC
Freed detainees in Turkey support captives on hunger strike
The freed captives in the last (Wafa Al Ahrar)
deal organized a broad media campaign in
Istanbul in solidarity with the Palestinian
prisoners in occupation prisons.
The campaign included Arab and Turkish
written and visual media through which the
freed captives clarified to the Turkish people,
who are following the prisoners' issue, the
prisoners' suffering in the arrogant occupation
prisons.
The Palestinian freed captives have explained
through several Turkish channels such as
Kanal7 and TV5 that the strike came as a
reaction to the occupation brutal and inhumane
measures against the prisoners.
They also mentioned the punitive policy of
administrative detention, long-term isolation in
so small cells, medical neglect, in addition to
other repressive measures that aim to break the
prisoners' will and determination.
They praised the warm Turkish government
and people hospitality, confirming that the
Palestinian prisoners are in need of more
supportive activities to expose the
occupation’s brutal and repressive practices
against the prisoners through international and
human rights organizations. /PIC
Issue No: 18 6th May, 2012
24
Russian activists call on UN to press occupation to fulfill
prisoners' demands
The Russian Youth Movement for Palestine
called on the UN to press on occupation to
fulfill prisoners' demands that they had
declared since the start of the strike three
weeks ago.
The movement leadership handed, on
Wednesday, a protest letter on the prisoners'
conditions to the head of United Nations
Office for Human Rights in Russia, Richard
Komenda, after organizing a mass
demonstration in support of Palestinian
prisoners.
The Russian activists stressed in their letter
their total support for the legitimate demands
of Palestinian prisoners in occupation prisons,
pointing to the inhumane prisoners' conditions
in occupation prisons in violation of
international law.
The occupation is committing crimes against
the Palestinian prisoners in total ignorance to
the UN resolutions and international law, the
activists said in the letter, calling on UN to
press on Israel to stop its crimes against the
prisoners and to improve their conditions in
prisons.
It is noted that the Russian Youth Movement
for Palestine has recently organized various
activities in the Russian capital city in support
of the Palestinian case where they had
organized a sit-in in front of the Zionist
embassy in mid-April and another one in
support of prisoners late last month, insisting
to organize more solidarity activities in the
coming days. /PIC
The launch of a broad campaign in Europe to support the
prisoners’ issue
The General Secretariat of Palestinians in
Europe launched a broad campaign in
solidarity with the prisoners in occupation
jails, aiming at pressuring the decision makers,
the officials in the EU and the different
European parliaments to intervene in order to
support the prisoners’ cause.
The European Campaign for the Defense of
Palestinian prisoners affirmed in a statement
on Tuesday, that it would send a petition,
supported by more than ten thousand
participants in the tenth Palestinians in Europe
conference in Denmark last Saturday, to a
large number of politicians and
parliamentarians, including EU Commissioner
Baroness Catherine Ashton. Thus, the
campaign started sending urgent messages to
the Secretary-General of the UN Ban Ki-
Issue No: 18 6th May, 2012
25
moon, the British PM and his Foreign
Minister, members of the European Parliament
and British MPs as well as contacting dozens
of Palestinians and activists in Europe to urge
them to send an officially signed letter to
members of European parliament and MPs of
the countries that are members in the European
Union.
It is expected that this campaign will continue
for an indefinite period in parallel with the
ongoing prisoners’ strike to increase the
solidarity and to draw the politicians’ and the
media’s attention to captives’ strike, as activist
Rami Abdo said.
The chair of the Palestinians in Europe
Conference and Director-General of the
Palestinian Return Centre Majid Al Zeer as
well as the Secretary General of the
Palestinians Europe conference Adel Abdullah
stressed on the importance to put pressure on
the Israeli occupation to release the prisoners
and meet their demands.
The campaign emphasized that the prisoners’
issue reached a crucial stage that imposes an
urgent European and international
intervention, especially after launching a
hunger strike by thousands of them. /PIC
Caricature
The battle of Empty Stomachs
By: Umayyah Juha