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1,500 Palestinian prisoners start hunger strike
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
From time to time, the Palestine Center distributes articles it believes will enhance understanding of the Palestinian political reality. The following article was published by CNN on 17 April 2012.
"1,500
Palestinian prisoners start hunger
strike"
About 1,500 Palestinian
prisoners held in Israeli detention began an
open-ended hunger strike Tuesday as
Palestinians across the West Bank and Gaza
gathered in various events to observe the
annual Prisoners' Day, marking solidarity for
the thousands of Palestinians in Israeli
prisons.
The Palestinian Prisoner's Association Club, an inmate advocacy group, said there were 1,500 prisoners taking part in the hunger strike and suggested that more from a range of Palestinian political factions were expected to follow.
"The Palestinian detainees who are on hunger strike are protesting Israel's treatment to prisoners inside the Israeli prisons," said Amani Sarahna, a club spokeswoman. "They are protesting Israel's policy of administrative detention and solitary confinement for prisoners for months at a time. They are protesting the arbitrary fines imposed on prisoners by the Israeli authority, the prevention of families especially of those from Gaza."
Sarahna added that another 10 Palestinian prisoners had been waging hunger strikes of varying durations before Tuesday's mass effort.
Administrative detention is a controversial Israeli practice that allows authorities to detain people indefinitely. There is no requirement to charge detainees held under this practice. Of the roughly 4,700 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons, approximately 300 are in administrative detention.
Israeli authorities deny that Palestinian prisoners are mistreated and said all are handled according to strict regulations.
In a statement released Tuesday, the Israeli prisons authority said it expected about 1,200 prisoners to commence a hunger strike but said, "we have dealt with hunger strikes in the past and we are set up to do so now."
The mass protest follows two high-profile hunger strikes by Palestinian prisoners.
In February, Khader Adnan ended a 66-day strike after his sentence was commuted, and last month, female prisoner Hana Shalabi was deported to Gaza after refusing to eat for 44 days. Both Adnan and Shalabi were being held in administrative detention for suspected terrorist activity, according to the Israeli government.
Their hunger strikes became rallying cries for Palestinians, who staged multiple rallies of support in the West Bank and Gaza and launched a social media campaign to shed light on Israel's detention policies.
Palestinian Prisoners' Day will be marked by rallies in the West Bank and Gaza, with thousands expected to turn out.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Jerusalem Fund.
Click here for more Reports and Commentary
To view this article online, please go to:
http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/17/world/meast/israel-hunger-strike/.
The Palestinian Prisoner's Association Club, an inmate advocacy group, said there were 1,500 prisoners taking part in the hunger strike and suggested that more from a range of Palestinian political factions were expected to follow.
"The Palestinian detainees who are on hunger strike are protesting Israel's treatment to prisoners inside the Israeli prisons," said Amani Sarahna, a club spokeswoman. "They are protesting Israel's policy of administrative detention and solitary confinement for prisoners for months at a time. They are protesting the arbitrary fines imposed on prisoners by the Israeli authority, the prevention of families especially of those from Gaza."
Sarahna added that another 10 Palestinian prisoners had been waging hunger strikes of varying durations before Tuesday's mass effort.
Administrative detention is a controversial Israeli practice that allows authorities to detain people indefinitely. There is no requirement to charge detainees held under this practice. Of the roughly 4,700 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons, approximately 300 are in administrative detention.
Israeli authorities deny that Palestinian prisoners are mistreated and said all are handled according to strict regulations.
In a statement released Tuesday, the Israeli prisons authority said it expected about 1,200 prisoners to commence a hunger strike but said, "we have dealt with hunger strikes in the past and we are set up to do so now."
The mass protest follows two high-profile hunger strikes by Palestinian prisoners.
In February, Khader Adnan ended a 66-day strike after his sentence was commuted, and last month, female prisoner Hana Shalabi was deported to Gaza after refusing to eat for 44 days. Both Adnan and Shalabi were being held in administrative detention for suspected terrorist activity, according to the Israeli government.
Their hunger strikes became rallying cries for Palestinians, who staged multiple rallies of support in the West Bank and Gaza and launched a social media campaign to shed light on Israel's detention policies.
Palestinian Prisoners' Day will be marked by rallies in the West Bank and Gaza, with thousands expected to turn out.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Jerusalem Fund.
Click here for more Reports and Commentary
To view this article online, please go to:
http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/17/world/meast/israel-hunger-strike/.