More Palestinian prisoners to join hunger strike

Ramallah: More Palestinian prisoners are expected to join the ongoing hunger strike, which entered its 25th day on Thursday, Palestinian sources told Gulf News.

Fatah wants all prisoners to join the strike in order to pile pressure on Israeli authorities to respond to the prisoners demands.

The sources say more prisoners will join the hunger strike in phases and will not include sick or teenage prisoners.

As Israel has desperately tried to sabotage the hunger strike, by punishing prisoners and releasing a fake video of leader Marwan Barghouti “snacking” to destroy their morale, nothing has worked so far.

“The momentum is not dissipating it is only growing, dealing a huge slap in the face to the Israeli prison authorities,” Qadura Fares, Palestinian Prisoner Club Chairman told Gulf News.

Fatah’s Central Committee declared unlimited support to the hunger strike during a meeting on Thursday and for the first time did not try to prevent demonstrators from reaching a checkpoint where they clashed with Israeli armed forces.

Seven protesters were injured as Israeli forces fired live ammunition and rubber bullets near the Beit El colony checkpoint on the outskirts of Ramallah.

On Tuesday, Palestinian activists erected a 5x4 metre mosaic portrait of Barghouti made from glass shards, to show support for him and the hunger strike near an Israeli military installation in the Occupied West Bank.

“We, the Palestinian people, have high trust in Marwan, and we don’t listen to the Israeli allegations,” said activist Abdullah Abu Rahmeh.

“Marwan will lead the strike until it achieves its goals.”

The prisoners who are surviving on only salt and water are demanding an end to administrative detention and solitary confinement, and want access to their lawyers and family.

They also want access to medical care and to be allowed to enrol in universities to continue their education.

At the moment, 7,000 Palestinian prisoners are being held in 28 Israeli prisons and detention centres, including 56 women, 13 lawmakers and 200 minors.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas urged Israel on Tuesday to meet what he said were humanitarian demands. He said a possible deterioration in the conditions of the hunger strikers “would make the situation more and more complicated.”

The Palestinians sent a letter to the UN Security Council on Tuesday appealing to the international community to support the prisoners’ demands that Israel respect their rights, dignity and humanity.

The letter from Palestinian Charge d’Affaires Feda Abdul Hadi Nasser said that Israel has not responded to the prisoners’ grievances and calls for an end “to solitary confinement, torture, medical negligence, and administrative detention, as well as for proper access to education, medical care and family visitation.”

The letter said that Israel has “intensified its abuse and collective punishment of the prisoners.”

Barghouti, 58, is serving five life terms after an Israeli court convicted him of directing attacks during a Palestinian uprising that killed five people.

Barghouti, in prison since 2002, never mounted a defence, saying the court had no jurisdiction over him.